


sea salt and pine needles

by britishtwat



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Author Is Sleep Deprived, BAMF Clarke Griffin, BAMF Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Bisexual Clarke Griffin, Endgame Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Finn Collins Being an Asshole, Fluff and Humor, Heavy Angst, Octavia Blake & Clarke Griffin & Raven Reyes are Best Friends, POV Alternating, Past Finn Collins/Clarke Griffin, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, maybe smut later idk man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/britishtwat/pseuds/britishtwat
Summary: A scrawny yet fiesty boy is rescued from Walkers by members of the Ark after losing his own group.The apocalypse-hardened Clarke Griffin and her dysfunctional family of teenagers soon strike up a friendship with Aden, who's dealt with his fair share of demons in the past, rendering him mute.Soon, Clarke will get to meet Aden's sister and the leader of their group, a certain green-eyed brunette with a fondness for swords and candles.And the colour blue, of course..ortypical 100 zombie apocalypse AU with plenty of gay and angst and humour :)
Relationships: Aden & Clarke Griffin, Anya/Raven Reyes, Bellamy Blake & Octavia Blake, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Indra/Marcus Kane, Jasper Jordan/Maya Vie, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 136
Kudos: 239





	1. morning, sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> my first 100 fic so don't expect no evaristo...
> 
> if you came here looking for banter between Clarke and The Gang, Raven and Monty blowing shit up, sassy Aden and badass Lexa then u came to the right corner of the internet!

"oh, fuck me...." 

Clarke was suddenly glad Raven wasn't around to hear that and make some witty retort.

There were a lot more of the bastards here than she'd predicted. All Walkers, thank god.  
Clarke groaned as she ran, turning on her tired heels as soon as her gleaming knife was clear from the infected's head, blood spraying as she scanned the surroundings ahead of her for threats. 

She was already late for where her, Bellamy and Octavia had agreed to meet up, and she hoped they hadn't got stuck in a similar situation as she barreled down the alley.  
A faint gargle came from the left ahead of her, and Clarke didn't even falter when a tattered-looking corpse dragged itself out from a corner and reached for her with desperate hands.  
A regular occurrence in a zombie apocalypse. 

Clarke puffed a strand of dirty blonde hair out of her face (her group hadn't had a chance to wash up in a few days due to their supply run) and grabbed her bat from where it was slung on her back, secured in place with the straps of her grey backpack. 

Clarke didn't need to stop, didn't want to give the small advancing group of bad breath behind her any chances, so she just swung her bat heavily to the left as she dashed forward, the wood smashing the Walker's face like a watermelon, red and brown exploding behind her and spattering onto her bat. 

Clarke grimaced as the blood and muck coated her left arm. That was a soggy one, she thought dryly.  
She stowed her bat back carefully, avoiding catching herself with any of the jagged nails sticking out of the wood that Jasper had insisted on hammering in, claiming it was 'more badass'.  
She decided to keep her knife out, and spotted a dumpster propped against a ledge that would provide a good vantage point. 

Clarke checked the area before hoisting herself up, grinning in satisfaction as she essentially parkoured her way up to the roof of a shabby house.  
God, modern day was grim, Clarke thought, staring at the winding streets and alleys, all monochrome, any flashes of colour either dulled by grime or faded. 

Anyway, where was that motel? Surely she hadn't wandered that far from the rendezvous point, Clarke mused, squinting at the silent neighbourhood.  
Ah! There was that small park she'd passed an hour ago, trees overgrown and encroaching upon the husks of houses within their grasp.  
That means the motel must be... 

Clarke grinned again as she spotted the building, and flipped her knife in her hands. A bad habit, really, considering she'd almost cut herself open and bled to death in an apOCALYPSE. A true and noble   
way to go, for sure.

Ten minutes later, six more infecteds lay on the ground, and Clarke was apprehensive of the scolding she was for sure about to receive from Bell. She knew he was incredibly protective, they all were. This wasn't the first time Clarke had gotten lost or lost track of time though. 

Which, Clarke thought as she tugged her jeans up frustratedly (she'd lost a lot of weight over the past years, and had lost her belt a week back when O had been forced to cut it to drag her from a horde's grasp.....THAT had been fun.), was understandable, considering the lack of time-keeping devices. 

Of course, she still had her father's watch, but it had long since broken and now was just a part of him that she carried with her to remind herself of his laugh, his caring smiles, his jokes... 

Clarke rounded the last corner, finally, and was instantly relieved to see an angrily pacing Bellamy next to an exasperated Octavia.  
They were unharmed at least. 

"Clarke!" Bellamy called in equal parts relief and anger as he set eyes on the blonde jogging out of the alley.  
"Heyyy...Bell...." She smiled sheepishly, and winced when Octavia stormed over and jabbed her in the ribs.

"You will be the death of us, Griff" O said scowling, but Clarke knew a smile wasn't far behind in her stormy expression, having lived with her for several years now.  
"Cmon guys...you know I can hold my own out here..." Clarke tried, and Bellamy angrily opened his mouth but stopped as he glanced behind her.  
"Ahh, shite" He muttered, already grabbing his long hunting knife and uncapping his pistol holster. "Company" 

Clarke rolled her eyes as O grinned. "Brilliant, I've been dying for a brawl all day..." She said, and Clarke stifled a grin as Octavia twirled her machete and started forwards eagerly.  
"O, we don't want to get in over our heads.." Bell said worriedly as he eyed the roughly six or seven Walkers limping across the street. "There could be Runners around" 

"Nahhh, this place is quieter than an absence of the duo..." O dismissed as she leapt forward, swinging her blade and slicing off a Walker's head with a flourish that Clarke envied. Clarke was known for being excellent in a fight, but there was a certain elegance around Octavia that made her jealous. Stupid, she knew. 

The 'duo' was what their little community, Arkadia, decided to call Monty and Raven. The two of them knew how to cause trouble, especially when they got experimental with whatever chemicals they'd looted that month. 

Clarke sidestepped as Bellamy impaled a Walker and spun it around, and headed for a particularly aggressive infected that groaned as it advanced, the desperate sound rattling out of its diseased throat and glaring unseeingly out of its sunken eyes.  
She grabbed her knife from where she'd briefly stowed it in her pocket, and dodged a swipe, then lunged and stabbed her blade deep into the Walker's throat.  
It hissed and spat as it thrashed in her grip, and Clarke spotted a Walker approaching an oblivious Octavia panting as she twirled with her machete out of the corner of her eye. Clarke released her infected, not bothering to retrieve her knife as she unslung her bat and swung heavily with her spare hand, the impact as wood and metal shattered feeble bones jarring. 

"Oh shit, thanks Clarke!" O huffed as she buried her machete in a gargling Walker's head, and Clarke smiled as she dealt with another nearby, and eyed the alley as two more came slinking out of the shadows. 

"We need to leave!" Bellamy called urgently, nodding his head to behind them where a significantly larger group was assembling, stray Walkers emerging from corners and further down the street as they were drawn to the noise like moths to a flame. 

Clarke nodded as O pouted and protested with her brother. She made her way over to where her previous enemy lay like a puppet with its strings cut, hissing as it clawed at the knife in its throat.  
She scowled back at it, even sticking her tongue out at its misshapen head before yanking her knife from its flesh and stabbing quickly at its skull. 

"Clarke, come on!" Bell urged behind her, and she stopped eyeing the approaching swarm and backed away from the littered bodies, before turning and dashing towards her friends, who were hefting a large box into the back of their truck. 

"Oh, sick, what'd you find?" Clarke asked as she hopped into the back of the vehicle.  
Bell smiled tentatively as he started the car and rolled it forwards, the low rumble fortunately not too loud. "O found some beers and a few snacks, and I managed to find another knife and a few rounds of ammo..." 

Clarke cheered as Octavia scoffed. "oh come on, that's not as good as the time I found a fuckin abandoned crate of combat boots!"  
"That was pretty amazing, actually.." Clarke admitted. Shoes were as important as weapons, O had claimed... an interesting point. 

"Anyway, what'd you scavenge, C-dawg?" Bell asked as he drove the truck quietly down the street, keeping a careful eye on the surroundings.  
"I'm never gonna talk to you again if you call me that" Clarke deadpanned.  
"Clarko?"  
"No"  
"C-slice?"  
"Nope"  
"Crunchie?"  
"No"  
"Crusty?"  
"The fuck....this is like when you called an actual meeting back at base just to propose changing the names of what we call infected's.."  
"Hey, that was completely valid! What if the Runners aren't even running?"

Octavia interjected: "At least he's not calling you princess like Finn.."  
Clarke scowled and stared out the window at the mention of her ex. So would anyone if the name of the person they'd made an extremely long list of ways to painfully kill was ever brought up in a conversation. 

"Moving on..." Bell said as he eyed his sister angrily. "Seriously, what'd you get?" 

Clarke sighed before handing her bag back to Octavia, who grimaced at the muck stains before eagerly unzipping it like a kid on Christmas. 

O studied the provisions, carefully handling the batteries and cereal bars.  
"Oooh..." She crowed, and Bellamy glanced up, interested, before slumping back down in the driver's seat in disappointment as Octavia waved around the sewing kit Clarke had found in a drawer. 

"Shut up, Bell, it's useful! You have no idea how helpful that is for medkits"  
Bellamy shrugged. "I didn't say any-" 

"FUCKING HELL ARE THESE KEVLAR??" Octavia shrieked behind them, causing Bellamy to swerve the car as they both jumped.  
"O!" He and Clarke both scolded, but Octavia was too busy admiring the thick pair of black gloves, even holding them up to the light and grinning. 

"I think they're kevlar... they were on the floor in this bunker I found in someone's closet.....but it was all cleared out!" Clarke added as her friends perked up. 

"Kane's gonna kiss you when he sees these" Octavia continued, slipping her hands into them and fixing the straps.  
"They're not a fucking faberge egg, O, they're just gloves" Clarke said sceptically, and Bell snorted. 

"Yeah, but if you wore these beauties and a Runner got its gnashers into ya paws, you could escape without bloody stumps for fingers!" Octavia claimed cheerfully, and Bellamy and Clarke exchanged glances of yikes. 

Bellamy and Octavia soon started an argument about who had found the best provisions on supply runs, giving Clarke an opportunity to zone out.  
She yawned and stretched, joints popping satisfyingly as she got her much needed rest after a busy day of running and stabbing things. Clarke looked longingly at a meadow in the distance on the outskirts of the town, and her fingers itched to draw it, to sketch the distant rises and dips of soft ground...

Bellamy glanced over and smiled warmly at the blonde dozing quietly against the window, and shushed Octavia mid-rant.  
Their group knew full well how restful sleep was not something that came easy to Clarke. She'd been through some shit. They all had, but it was a wonder Clarke could still smile and joke on their outings, even if it had taken her months to come out of her room back at base after what happened to her dad, and the Finn incident... 

"Wanna split this?" Bell heard O whisper behind him, and he glanced in the rear view mirror to see her holding up a small chocolate bar with a coy look.  
He sighed and raised an eyebrow. "We return our stuff to the Ark. You know the rules."  
"But Bell..." O protested, doing her equivalent of puppy dog eyes that had worked like a charm on many a boy before the world went to shit.  
"No, O" Bellamy said firmly. "I'm sure that blonde kid back at base would appreciate it a lot more than us" 

"We don't even know him...he still could be a spy" Octavia grumbled as she leaned back in her seat and put her feet up on the seat beside her.  
Bell reached back and shoved her legs off the seat. "I highly doubt it, he looks nine" 

"He's twelve at least!" 

They were referring to the scrawny boy back at the Ark that Jasper and Monty had discovered a week ago, bleeding from a wound on his leg in the group of settlements they'd been looting for clothes.  
He hadn't talked at all when they got to him apparently, he just sat there with a grim expression clutching a knife and fending off Walkers as he bled out. 

A week had passed and the boy had yet to wake from his infection-induced slumber. Clarke herself had assisted Abby in tending to his leg, and they all wondered what the straggler's story was. They hadn't had an addition to the camp for a while; the last one was Murphy, a foul-mouthed arrogant jerk who was admittedly good in a fight. 

After a while, their truck reached Arkadia's borders, and Bellamy stuck his head out the window to signal to the patrollers outside the camp.  
The gates opened and they rolled in, parking beside the two other armoured vehicles they'd miraculously managed to procure during the years. 

Bellamy grabbed his bag full of loo rolls and weapons before reluctantly leaning over to wake Clarke, wincing as she jerked awake violently.  
"Shhh, its okay, we're back at base" He said quietly, and the blonde lowered her fists and nodded tiredly, clicking open her car door and sliding out. 

"Clarke!?" came a familiar, commanding voice tinged with worry, and a tall woman with similar blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail came running over to meet the latest scavenger group.  
"Hey, mom..." Clarke said, smiling faintly as Abby Griffin pulled her into a hug, seemingly unminding of the blood stains and the grime that caked her daughter. 

"I'm okay, I'm sorry we took an extra day... and without the radio we couldn't let you know.." Clarke mumbled into her mom's shoulder.  
"Its fine, I'm just glad you're safe" Abby said softly, her furrowed brows beginning to relax as she took in the sight of her filthy but unharmed Clarke. "Marcus came across some Runners in your area, and apparently a man on his team saw a group of Bursters" 

Clarke raised her eyebrows. "You serious?"  
Abby nodded grimly. "It was only a sighting, so it wasn't definite, but still. I worried"  
The younger woman smiled encouragingly. "I'm here now, and I probably won't be as lucky as to be let out on another venture for a while.."  
"Quite right" Abby confirmed with a steely gaze; yes, they needed supplies, but it was still her daughter going out and endangering herself. And so soon after Finn... 

"Anyway, I need to crash, I'm fucking knackered" Clarke groaned as she prised her stained bat from where she'd leant it against the truck and started to head towards the camp. "I'll see you tonight!"

A few hours later and Clarke had washed up and napped and was feeling significantly more human.  
She propped her boots up on the small metal crate beside the medbay bed, and fished her notebook out of her jacket pocket along with a charcoal pencil (her preferred medium. She'd actually cried with joy when she'd discovered an artist supply pack in a house she'd been raiding a few months back). 

Clarke was on watch duty for the small blonde kid for the next hour, and she surveyed his smooth features as he slept with a sort of fondness.  
She hoped he hadn't been through that much pain, though that was probably unlikely. 

Clarke chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at the empty page balanced on her knee in front of her. She wanted a break from the current piece she was working on in her spare time, a mountain she had once traveled to with her parents a long time ago. 

Mount Weather stood tall and proud in the distance, dominating the somewhat feeble landscape that cowered before the mountain that brushed the wisps of soft clouds Clarke had etched so carefully into the page. 

Clarke turned the page over. 

Something new, Clarke thought, and her gaze drifted to the dirty window that let streams of morning light in through the cracks in the grime.  
The med ward of Arkadia was positioned right at the back of the camp, in the most defended point. It was effective in that way and also in the way that it was isolated enough so that the noise of the main camp wouldn't disturb any patients, and so Clarke could have peace and quiet. 

Except she loathed peace and quiet now, detested the scarce moments where she was alone with her thoughts. It was only time spent mulling over the pain and it was probably cowardly of her to avoid it but so what.  
Sbe couldn't embrace it yet.

Clarke pushed away the buzz at the back of her mind and took a breath, lifting her pencil and drawing a single line. It would become something. 

It became after a time a crumbling brick wall, remnants of a once powerful barrier that was now ravaged and devastated, crumbling bits of brick lay in puddles of rain on the ground, where sodden shoots and weeds were beginning to force themselves up through gaps and reach for air. 

She was so focused on her drawing she didn't realise the boy in front of her was stirring until the mattress creaked, and Clarke glanced up immediately, chucking her book aside and leaning forward. 

The boy blinked his eyes open, the blue orbs taking in his surroundings before settling on the fellow blonde in front of him, who grinned and waved.  
"Morning, sunshine" She quipped. 

He launched forwards, limbs flailing as his heavy breathing filled the room, and Clarke cursed under her breath before carefully approaching him like a startled horse. 

"Its okay...you're okay.. you're safe" She said soothingly, gesturing to ask if she could sit on the bed beside the hunched, quivering kid.  
He studied her for a while, panting before nodding ever so slightly.  
Clarke beamed and settled gently beside the boy. 

"I'm Clarke Griffin, I'm part of this base called the Ark, or Arkadia" she started softly, trying to subtly make her steady breathing a bit more obvious so the boy could regulate his own. "We found you a week ago bleeding out from a wound on your leg" Clarke gestured to his bandaged calf.  
"Wait a second while I just radio Abby, she's the head doctor here" Clarke assured the boy as she slid off the soft material and reached for the sleek black radio on the crate.

The scrawny boy continued to watch her with a guarded yet slightly calmer expression, and she tried to offer a reassuring smile as she fiddled with the dial. 

"Hey, Jackson..? our patient's awoken from his beauty sleep.." The blonde said, and winked at the kid, feeling triumphant when she saw his lips twitch into a small smile as they conversed. 

"Yeah, yeah... I'll get him some water.." She said after a few moments, Jackson having confirmed that Abby would be on her way soon after she was finished with another matter, and placed the radio back down. 

"This thing's a real beauty, tis a shame it's exclusively for medbay communication.." Clarke mused enviously as she glared at the radio before leaning back against the wall. 

"You should see the pieces of crap they send us out with on raids. It's Jasper's fault, really. The radios are always somehow more difficult to work whenever he's been using them" 

The boy gave another small smile, and she grinned before grabbing a small metal water bottle and offering it.  
"We've been giving you bits of water, but i bet you're dead thirsty" She continued, and he hesitated, emotions flickering in his expression before accepting it slowly. 

Clarke hummed, looking away and out the window as he drank greedily, comfortable with the silence for once.  
The random tune began to resemble and old song she'd once adored before she'd worn it out. Now, Clarke thought, as she breathed the tune of 'Northern Downpour', she was just thankful she could remember all the tunes of a passed era. 

She started to natter on about random  
things, her ramblings apparently working as the tension eased out of the kid's shoulders. 

After a while, Clarke noticed how his eye was drawn to her notepad.  
She cleared her throat. "Do you...wanna look?" She asked, gesturing, and the boy shrugged.  
Clarke reached over and handed him the notepad, smiling as he started to flip through and even glance up at her approvingly some times.  
"Would you mind...telling me your name?" She asked tentatively, and watched as the stranger sighed. 

He reached up and tapped his throat.  
Clarke stared. 

He sighed again and leaned forward, his small hand closing on the pencil on the crate.  
Clarke watched with bemusement as he scribbled into the back of her notebook. 

He flipped the page round and handed it to her, and she took it with a quirk of an eyebrow.  
'my name is aden, im mute' was scrawled in tiny, shaky handwriting.  
Clarke looked up to find him watching her with apprehensive eyes, and something in her stiffened protectively at how he was expecting a negative response. 

She softened her features into a smile and passed the book back. "Aden's a cool name"  
Aden shrugged and looked away, his hands fiddling with the sheet in front of him.  
"Do you...have a group you were with?" Clarke asked tentatively, moving to sit with him again, and noticed his shoulders tensing. 

He studied her for a minute, hard untrusted blue eyes staring into honest, caring ones.  
He nodded. 

Clarke smiled. "We better work on getting you back to them, then?"  
Aden smiled and nodded, before lifting the pencil to the pad again.  
She waited patiently for a few minutes, humming and tracing her father's watch with her fingers, until he turned the book round to reveal the words 'im part of a group led by my older sister. we moved into the area recently to escape another group' 

Clarke nodded. "Do you have any idea where your group will be? Do they have a radio?"  
Aden shook his head, turning the book and writing 'no, but they're somewhere in the woods by Polis Point 

Clarke pursed her lips as she took in the new information. She'd need to tell the Council, Kane would-  
Her thoughts were interrupted as Abby clicked the door open with a friendly smile.  
If she was surprised to see Clarke and the patient huddled up on the bed alongside each other, she didn't show it. 

"Hey" Abby said, and offered her hand to Aden, who shook it firmly. "I'm Abby Griffin, I'm sort of the leading doctor here"  
Aden raised his eyebrows and looked at Clarke, and she heard the silent question. Griffin? 

"She's my mother" Clarke explained, and he nodded in understanding, his dirty hair falling in his eyes as he stretched with a yawn. 

"What's your name, kiddo?" Abby asked softly as she stepped forward, and Aden's gaze hardened.  
Clarke made a hand movement like 'may I speak on behalf of you mlord', and he nodded. 

"This is Aden, he's part of a group that's camping out north by Polis Point" Clarke said to her mother. "He can't speak, he's mute"  
Clarke saw the flicker of surprise on her face before she nodded in understanding; They'd all be bobbleheads soon at this rate. 

"Sorry for the 'kiddo', old habits die hard" Abby added, laughing nervously. 

Aden narrowed his eyes before nodding yet again. Abby smiled, and started to talk about his recovery and how things worked around the Ark as Clarke’s mind wandered. Again.  
God, she was really out of it today.  
Of course, the old Clarke was still desperately trying to come back, her old stubborn and confident self only just beginning to seep through the cracks of her now hardened and pained armour. 

"Clarke" Abby said loudly, and she snapped to attention. "Honey, you need to get some food"  
Clarke bit her lip before nodding. "Yeah, okay."  
She clambered off the mess of sheets, reaching the door before turning. 

"I'll pick you up something, yeah?" She promised to Aden, who shrugged nonchalantly, but couldn't quite conceal the hunger in his eyes.  
"There's no choice in it, sunshine. You want soup or bread or?" She continued, a smirk tugging at her lips as she motioned to the notebook still in his lap. 

Aden rolled his eyes at her remark but wrote in the book anyway, Abby watching bemusedly at their actions, like they'd known each other for months rather than half an hour. 

'bread, please' Aden held up the book, and Clarke smiled. "Gotcha" She said, clicking open the door and slipping out into the dim corridor.


	2. the wrath of the mighty Aden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> O has perks as an extremely hot and flirty badass.  
> Aden gets upset but its okay because his blonde bro helps him out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoy!

"Griff! Wait up!" 

Clarke turned and grinned as a sweaty Jasper Jordan panted and skidded to a stop in the slick mud; her hands flew out to steady him.  
"Woah there, J" She said, smirking, and he stuck his tongue out at her, his stupid goggles slipping down his face. 

"What's the new kid like?" He asked immediately as they continued walking towards their usual hangout point, Raven's 'Chaos Corner' (so aptly named) and Clarke snorted. Straight to the point, as always.   
"Aden. He's alright, he's impatient about resting, he wants to get back to his family. He's annoyed he can't put any weight on his leg yet, but these things take time-" 

"So there is another group?" Jasper asked excitedly, and Clarke nodded.  
"They moved into the area recently after something happened...Aden says there's twenty or so of them, and they're not as well off as we are"  
"Well obviously, we basically occupy a fortress" Jasper claimed proudly, and Clarke rolled her eyes. 

"Do you know when Bellamy's off duty? Kane was looking for him earlier" Clarke asked as they reached the rusty door propped up against the metal shack that had come to resemble one of Clarke favourite places.  
A cacophony of sounds issued from Raven's domain, off-key warbling that she recognised as Monty's singing voice, hammering and clanking, sparking... 

"Nah, but it won't be for a while" Jasper replied as they stepped into the shack. 

"GRIFFIN!!!" came a shriek, and Clarke grinned in amusement as the skinny latino scrambled out from behind her desk, narrowly avoiding tripping over several boxes of parts as she limped over, her metal visor still down over her face. 

"Uhh, Ray.." Clarke murmered, gesturing to her face, and she lifted it up with a clank after a brief pause of confusion.  
"Where the fuck have you been?" Raven demanded, casually tossing her blowtorch to Jasper, who yelped as he hastily caught the burning metal tool, as she enveloped the blonde in a tight hug. 

"Sorry, i meant to head over this morning, but i needed to help Aden with his leg, and I'm pretty sure Kane was punishing me for being a day late by assigning me to clean all the weapons" Clarke grumbled into her best friend's shoulder. "I forgot how bloody hard it is to get Walker gunk off of Batchete" 

"Its nowhere near as hard as refining the calibration on this bitch" Raven said scowling, pulling back and shooting a withering glare at the metal brace on her leg.   
"Are you still calling your bat that?" came another voice from further back into the shack, past the cluttered desks of weapon parts and other dangerous concoctions Clarke didn't even want to know about. 

"Its a perfectly good name, Monty!" Jasper retorted, shoving his way past crates, pausing only to set the blowtorch back down on the counter with a wince. 

"It's not exactly genius..." Monty said, chuckling, and Clarke peered past Raven to see the Asian fumbling with a selection of mallets and sheets of metal. "i mean, a portmanteau of machete and bat isn't even on the same level as my beauty, Lightning" 

Clarke cast Raven a questioning glance. Raven smirked and nodded to a new contraption in the corner. She walked over to it and tucked a blonde hair behind her ear as she studied the long sleek device. 

"She can electrocute infecteds with enough volts to have them freezing up like Monty himself giving lectures" Jasper piped up, snickering as Monty thumped him on the arm with a piece of metal. 

"Oh, you think that's cool?" Raven scoffed, marching as best as she could round to her workspace. Clarke smiled fondly at her competitive nature, trailing behind her anyway as she showed her various weapons and stuff she'd constructed. 

"You guys been busy while we were away, huh?" Clarke said, leaning against the wall and folding her arms. "And to think we thought we were missed"  
"Not a second went by where I didn't think of your repunzel-esque goldilocks silky curls, dear" Monty chirped, and Clarke scowled. 

"Shut up, Minty" She snarked (Jasper choked on his water at the nickname), just as Raven threw her arms round her dramatically.   
"I'd be lost without my Clarkey" She exclaimed. "Who's arse would I stare at in my free time?"  
"Like it's just in your free time" Clarke fired back, smirking. 

"Alas, it's true" Raven sighed. "My brain is filled with many a thought of your beautiful butt cheeks"   
Jasper burst out laughing, and Clarke rolled her eyes. 

"Sup nerds" Came a dry voice behind them, and in came Octavia, looking thoroughly pissed.  
"Who shit in your cereal?" Raven mumbled, voice strange as she scribbled down unintelligible writing onto paper, a penlid between her teeth.  
"They were out of fucking soup, actually" O growled, stalking further into the room and dumping a bag she'd brought with her, that clinked rather suspiciously as it settled. Clarke raised an eyebrow. 

"My lord, what a travesty" Raven gasped, her hand clutching at her chest. "It's a wonder you can even bring yourself to talk about such a tragic situation"  
"Get shanked, Reyes" O said coolly, and Raven winked. 

"They had bread rolls and salad, though, right?" Clarke said, and Octavia nodded sullenly.   
"I just had my heart set on a steaming bowl of mushroom goodness..." She stated dreamily, shrugging off her casualwear hoodie. "Its the least I deserve, considering I was out in the cold basically all day" 

They broke into easy chatter, and Clarke wandered over to the corner to dump her blue jacket. It was sweltering as always in CC (Chaos Corner).   
She was fucking exhausted, but was content to talk to her friends for a while. They made the nights so much better, even though she still had difficulty shoving down the guilt that arose every time she laughed. 

But she was getting better. Each passing day her bitterness and her grief and her anger faded, only flaring up unexpectedly at some points. 

"Clarkey?" Raven called, and she rejoined the group to see a mischievous look on Octavia's slender features.   
"Oh god, what?" She asked tiredly, afraid of that familiar glint in the girl's eye.  
"No need to sound so apprehensive" O pouted, and Clarke stared her down.   
"There's every need with that look on your face. Did you find fireworks again?" 

Octavia smirked. "Nah. Let's just say being the hottest person on base-"  
"You called?" Bellamy said smoothly, shrugging his broad body into the room with his trademark cheshire grin. 

"Oh, please. Have you seen me?" Raven demanded, doing a little sexy dance as she stepped away from her workbench, grinning at Jasper's cheers and whoops.  
Clarke sighed heavily and tugged Raven's shirt back down over her toned stomach. 

"As I was SAYING-" O yelled, punching Bellamy in the gut and snorting as he wheezed. "I managed to procure some...supplies...from that pig that works down in Central..."  
"Dax?" supplied Monty, and O snapped her fingers, nodding.  
"Anyway, I garnered a few things that will make this a hell of a night" Octavia said triumphantly, grabbing the bag and unending it onto the table in one swift motion. 

Clarke's idiots cheered, Jasper rushing forward to admire the bottles and cans that clinked onto the desk.   
Clarke felt a little uneasy, and Raven obviously picked up on it as she leant forward and murmured "You deserve a break, Clarkey. You most out of all of us" 

"THANK GOD FOR AN ALCAHOLIC BEVERAGE THAT ISN'T MOONSHINE!" shrieked Jasper with joy.

Clarke sighed and bit her lip, watching as her friends squabbled and laughed over the alcohol.  
"Yeah, maybe..." Clarke mumbled, and Raven slapped her on the back, causing the blonde to yelp and glare.  
"That's ma bitch!" Ray exclaimed cheerfully. 

Bellamy passed Clarke a can, and she didn't think twice before prising it open and bringing it to her lips.

Aden ate slowly, careful to heed Clarke and Abby's warning of handling his appetite. He didn't want to make himself sick.  
The blonde worried his lip before setting down the bread roll and shifting to the end of his bed, like he'd done a dozen times that day. 

Carefully, Aden lowered his good leg to the floor and stood on it, before cringing in apprehension as he lifted his other leg and setting it gently on the ground.  
He stood there, panting hard, as his deep but healing wound throbbed, steeling himself before adding more and more pressure. 

After all his work that day, despite Clarke's protests, he could now successfully limp for a few paces before pausing to lean on something.  
It was progress, though. And Aden was a Woods.   
He was a fighter.  
He was just like his sisters, and when he was older he would be as strong and as confident as they were, and he would lead and help people. 

Aden slumped back down onto his bed after, breathing hard and blinking away the sting of disappointment and frustration in his eyes.  
His family was out there, probably thinking he was dead, and he was stuck in here with a stupid leg and he couldn't do anything. 

He felt helpless and pathetic.  
The anger that had been boiling up for two days lay simmering in his veins, and Aden curled his fists and glared out the window at the few stars unobscured by grime. 

Growling, Aden lunged and punched the wall with all his might, snarling and yelping when he felt the pain sear across his knuckles.   
Fuck.

Clarke luckily hadn't had as much to drink as the others, and there came several knocks on the metal door to Raven's hellhole.  
Clarke stood quickly and shushed the group, pointing at the door with wide eyes and then at the mixture of cans and bottles on the table in front of them. 

Jasper and Octavia had been participating in a sloppy armwrestle as the others jeered, Raven and Bellamy ever the loudest of the pack with their hoots and screeches; Clarke was content to watch from the corner, under the guise of having a headache, but really she wanted to keep an eye on the snoring boy beside her ; Monty the lightweight had fallen fast asleep on the bench, drooling onto his arm and limply clutching a beer can. 

At Clarke's panicked movements, Bell dived and snatched up their prized goods and stuffed them into Octavia's bag that Raven held up, ignoring a tipsy Jasper that tripped over Octavia's feet and went tumbling into a cart of supplies, laughing hysterically.   
Oh god, drunk Jasper. 

"Everyone act sober!" Clarke hissed, before moving quickly to the door and prising it open. 

Thank god Jackson had the manners to knock. 

"Clarke" He breathed in relief. "Aden's...distressed."  
Clarke furrowed her brows in concern. "What's...is he okay?"  
"Yeah, just.. Abby said you'd probably be able to calm him down.. You sort of know him best" Jackson explained, and Clarke nodded before stepping out and swiftly closing the door behind her before he had a chance to peer in and witness the utter chaos; she could hear Raven sniggering and Bellamy shushing her, his shHhshhhhh.... louder than Raven herself. 

Ten minutes later Clarke and Jackson reached the medbay, and Clarke left Jackson to step in front of the door warily, before knocking gently.  
"Aden" She called. "I'm coming in now, okay?" 

Clarke pushed the door open, and her heart clenched as she took in the young kid in a ball on the floor, back hunched against the metal crate.  
She approached slowly, pausing only to switch on a small camping lantern that was dangling from the ceiling. 

The light flickered on, and Clarke winced as Aden stiffened.  
She moved till she was a respectable space away, but close enough so she could offer comfort by her presence.   
She hoped she'd have that effect, any case. 

"Hey, Aden" She said quietly. "You angry about your leg?"   
Aden sniffed, and let out a long breath. 

"I'm sorry that you're stuck here. I know I probably don't understand but I can try and help you in any way I can" Clarke continued, studying the blonde boy's trembling shoulders. "Do you know where my- the notepad is?" 

Aden sniffed again before nodding ever so slightly to the left corner of the room; Clarke scooted over and dragged the pad towards her.  
"Now, if you want to talk, you can,I won't force you. But I do need to know if you're hurt in any way?" 

Aden shook his head a little too quickly, and Clarke raised an eyebrow before asking "you sure?"  
He hesitated before lifting his head, blue eyes bloodshot and teary. He stared into her eyes before slowly extending his right hand. 

Clarke gently took it, turning it this way and that under the dim light of the lantern that illuminated the reddy-purple of his knuckles.  
She sighed. "What incurred the wrath of the mighty Aden?" She asked lightly, and felt pleased when his lips twitched. 

"It doesn't feel like there's a fracture" Clarke mused, apologising briefly when he winced as she pressed into his hand. "But this'll bruise like a bitch."  
Aden let out a choked laugh, the first laugh she'd ever heard from him, a bitter, hoarse wheeze that took them both by surprise. 

His cheeks reddened, and Clarke decided to move on before he got embarrassed.   
"Sorry if I'm a bit out of it, by the way. My friend Octavia managed to sneak us some booze" She whispered. "But if you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you with a cheese grater" 

Aden stared at her before breaking out into a wide grin, lighting his features and brightening the room.  
Clarke grinned and winked. "Our little secret, eh, sunshine?"  
Aden glared at her with repressed amusement before reaching out and sliding the book towards him with his good hand. 

'i won't tell anyone as long as you help me get back to my family as soon as possible' 

Clarke looked at him sadly, meeting his desperate and solemn eyes.  
"Aden, we're not holding you prisoner here, just a couple more days of healing and we'll take you to your family" She said firmly.  
He sighed and nodded in understanding. 

He picked up the pencil again.   
'sorry for disturbing your party' 

Clarke snorted. "Believe me, mate, it was more pandemonium than party. I'm pretty sure Octavia was about to deck Bellamy for nicking the last of her vodka. It worked out well in the end, though. They settled on a good ol family friendly armwrestle... O of course won, and there were no casualties as far as I'm aware" 

Aden smiled. Clarke's friends sounded awesome. 

"Maybe you could meet them when Jackson finds those crutches?" Clarke suggested, and beamed when his eyes lit up. 

'they sound pretty badass' Aden wrote, and Clarke grinned.   
"That's whats written in the dictionary under 'Clarke Griffin'. Synonyms for Clarke include hot stuff, walker-crusher, chick magnet, and all around angel..."   
Aden snorted.  
'she sounds pretty dull to be honest ' 

Clarke huffed in offense. "Excuse me, who just pledged their free time to helping you reunite with your gang gang?"  
'if you refer to my family again as gang gang il knock you out with my crutches'   
Aden scribbled and shoved the paper towards her with a grin, and she snickered. 

They continued to bicker some time into the night, before Clarke noticed Aden stifling a yawn and she insisted he sleep. 

"Can't have you cranky in the morning" She joked, ruffling his dirty blonde hair and recieving a faint shove in response.   
"Sweet dreams, sunshine" Clarke said more softly before turning off the lantern. "And if you need me at all, the radio's right here. Abby showed you how to work it, right?"  
Aden nodded, and she smiled.  
"Ciao, blondie" Clarke shut the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you'd like any preferences as to who Aden bonds with, or anything you'd like me to include lmk!


	3. shrimps in the bedsheets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aden meets the human ball of chaos that is Raven, and the Delinquents volunteer to tackle some infecteds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im still sort of figuring out chapter lengths and things so forgive me if they're inconsistent.
> 
> also just found out the italics i spent ages putting in all disappeared so >:(

Aden sighed in exhaustion, flexing his good hand that had cramped up from all the writing.  
He ignored the people in front of him staring at him, instead taking interest in looking out at the clearing past the tent. 

The crutches had finally arrived that morning, and as he was being walked over to the Council's tent he stared in both awe and envy at the bustling, lively community that inhabited Arkadia.  
There were actual buildings beside tents and shacks, tables in pavilions with dangling lights and buckets and boxes and things. 

What drew Aden's gaze most was the bright garden that he was peering at over Abby's shoulder; he hadn't seen anything like it in a long time.  
Rickety fences enveloped a group of clearings, where allotments had been constructed and cared for, tomatoes and carrots and potatoes sprouting from soily beds, twining greenery wrapped round tall sticks.  
It was amazing.

He started when he realised Abby had been calling his name softly for the past few seconds. She still treated him like he was a little, helpless kid, and it was starting to grate.  
"I just wanted to thank you for writing everything out" Clarke's mom said, nodding to where Aden had tiredly written out answers to the group of adult's keen questions on a brand-new notepad (Aden was glad he didn't have to ruin Clarke's art book anymore). 

Part of Aden knew Lexa and Anya would probably be pissed off at how much he was telling these people, but they also knew he didn't just trust anyone.  
They knew firsthand how good a judge of character their brother was. 

Aden nodded to Abby, rubbing his face.  
She started talking to the others, especially the one Clarke called Kane, a stern-looking yet kindly- man who seemed to lead this Council.  
Speaking of the blonde, he offered her a smile as she made her way over to him with a bottle of water. 

"You good?" Clarke asked, sliding the bottle across the table, watching as the Council dispersed.  
Aden shrugged, taking the water gratefully. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Clarke looked around before reaching into her pocket and pulling out... 

"Nicked this for ya" She murmured, passing him the brightly-coloured chocolate bar under the table.  
Aden stared at it with wide eyes. Such a delicacy was hard to come by when scavenging, so few places had loot anymore. He hadn't seen chocolate in... a year or something. 

He picked up the biro pen.  
'i can't eat this!!' 

Clarke glanced down at the paper before rolling her eyes.  
"Cmon, kid, you'll enjoy it more than me. We eat stuff like that as soon as we find it." 

Aden glanced around like Clarke had guiltily, before ripping open the packet and taking a small bite.  
Oh my fucking god it was so good...Aden groaned and let his head fall onto the table dramatically with a thunk.

Clarke laughed at his response. "Fucking amazing, isn't it. I nearly sob everytime I have something from the good ol days. And to think I took Burger King for granted..."  
Aden snorted.  
'of course you liked burger king' he wrote.  
Clarke raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah?" She challenged. "What did little Aden count as good sustenance back in the day then?" 

Aden grinned.  
'not burger king, that's for sure >:)' he scribbled, and Clarke rolled her eyes.  
"You really are incorrigible, squirt" 

"Clarke! CLARKEYYY!" came a squeal from somewhere behind them, and they both turned to see a skinny brunette in a red leather jacket and grey jeans limping over towards them, a metal brace slowing her movements. "O said a certain blue-eyed prick stole my fucking-"  
"I'm so sorry about her" Clarke groaned apprehensively to Aden. He gave her an amused look. 

"-could have always just asked, but nooooo, you gotta pinch it and make me look for it for thirty minutes-"  
"Raven, this is Aden" Clarke interjected, glaring at the latino and gesturing to the blonde boy next to her. "Aden, this is my nightmare of a chaotic best friend, Raven" 

"Charmed" Raven drawled, doing a little bow with a flourish, before proceeding to offer her hand.  
Aden stared at her before gingerly taking it, concealing a smirk when she starting shaking it enthusiastically. 

"So, Aden. You had enough of our paradise yet?" Raven asked, cringing only momentarily when her brace knocked against the wood as she slid onto the bench next to Clarke. "Have they made you scrub the loo seats with a toothbrush to welcome you into our rough little community?"

Aden stared at her before Clarke rolled her eyes.  
"She's kidding." Clarke deadpanned, before turning to Raven with another glare. "And I'm pretty sure that's a punishment in movies"  
"Nah" Raven protested. "I had a cousin who's parents made him clean the bathroom with a toothbrush. He got into trouble for sewing shrimps into his sister's bedsheets" 

Aden continued to stare before smiling widely. He liked Raven.  
"Ray, there is no way that's true-" Clarke said amusedly, and Raven put up a finger to shush her.  
"Au contraire, my fiesty freind. He was good at pranks like that. The shrimps went off and her room stank but she couldn't find the source of the smell-" 

Aden gave a dry chuckle, and Raven looked pleased.  
"Not much of a talker, eh, punk?" She mused thoughtfully.  
Aden glanced at the blonde, surprised she hadn't told her friends he couldn't speak. 

"Oh, uh... Aden can't speak, Ray" Clarke said, and Raven raised her eyebrows.  
"is it selective, or..." She asked, and Aden bit his lip as he fiddled with the pen.  
He had never had to explain his condition to anyone before, his group having witnessed the events. 

Clarke stepped in. "You don't have to explain if you don't want to, its cool"  
Aden smiled before picking up the pen. 

'I dont know why i can't speak, really. i haven't said a word in a year and four months, I just can't seem to bring myself to talk' he wrote carefully, swivelling the book round and watching the two teenagers read it curiously. 

"I bet you miss it" Raven said, and Aden shrugged.  
'im used to it' he scrawled upside down.  
"I'd miss it, you know....I dont think I could live without singing gaga or perry..." She stated doubtfully, and Aden chuckled again quietly. 

"We're all aware of your music taste, Ray" Clarke sniffed disdainfully as she shrugged her jacket off , tan skin glowing in the unexpected but very welcome sunlight shining over the camp. "Painfully aware"  
"Shove off, Griff. We all know your secret passion for Adele.." Raven retorted, and Aden smirked at a blushing Clarke.  
The two started bickering but stopped when Aden slid his book towards them with the words:  
'what do you do here, raven?'  
Raven beamed and instantly started rambling about her Chaos Corner, how she and Monty made a lot of weapons and useful things for the base. 

Aden perked up when she mentioned building an actual bomb with a tin can and some wires and god knows what other shit she'd found lying around the place.  
Raven noticed, and beamed at his interest.  
"You like making things go boom, kiddo?" She asked earnestly, and chuckled when Aden death-stared her at the 'kiddo'. 

Aden wrote 'I bet you blew some zombie bastards ten feet into the air'  
Raven turned to Clarke suddenly. "Can we keep him?" 

Aden flushed with pride and warmth at such a simple saying; Clarke looked rather amused.  
"No, Ray. He's gotta get back to his people. But I have been wondering about whether your family would consider...coming to a sort of arrangement?" Clarke said carefully.  
Aden was surprised. 

Clarke began to say more, but was interrupted by movement and yelling over by the large building Aden knew to be the Armoury.  
Some people with guns and knives and various weapons were assembling by some trucks, and a tall young man with floppy brown hair appeared to be organising them into groups. 

It was familiar, seeing organisation in an attack, and Aden was reminded of his sisters and their fighters with a pang.  
Soon, he'd see them all again. Soon. 

"Looks like we got some Runners or something" Clarke said, rising from her seat.  
Raven eagerly started clumsily trying to get off the bench, when Clarke fixed her with a look.  
"Ray, i don't want you overexerting yourself.. " She warned, and Raven scoffed.  
"I'm fine, Clarkey, I wanna hit some things"  
"Fine, but you stay at the back of the group, and if your leg hurts too much I want you marching right back inside" Clarke half pleaded half instructed. 

Aden grabbed the pen before they could leave to join the group, scribbling out a quick 'im really sorry i can't help out. you could always let me sit on the truck and shoot them from a distance?  
"Nope, not happening" Clarke said sternly, but her eyes softened when she saw his face fall.  
She turned away briefly to yell at a departing Raven: "Tell Bellamy I'll be right there!"  
"Get yo ass over here soon, though, Boudicca!" They heard her shout back, and Aden couldn't help but envy the other girl as she was handed a heavy machine gun and a belt of ammo. 

"Listen, kid. Its not that I'm not trusting you to help out, it's just your new here and I think some people would be pretty uneasy at watching this tiny badass blow infecteds to pieces when they don't know you. And besides, you'll be at full strength soon, you don't want to sabotage your progress!" Clarke said sincerely. 

Aden sighed but nodded, slumping back down in the bench. 'I know. I just feel bad im not helping' 

Clarke twirled the knife she'd pulled from nowhere in her hand seemingly subconsciously, and Aden felt another pang as he thought of Lexa and her antics.  
"I know, kid. But there's plenty of people helping out here in other ways. If it made you feel better, you could do something else to aid the camp" She offered. 

Aden nodded thoughtfully before writing 'can I at least watch you guys? purely for educational purposes'  
Clarke read it with a smile before they both turned at a voice from over by the armoury.  
"GRIFFIN! GET IN HERE, WE COULD USE YOUR FLAWLESS FIGHTING!" A girl yelled from beside Raven, who was practically vibrating with excitement at being let out on the field for the first time in a while. 

Clarke sighed. "I'd better go before Octavia skins me alive and fashions a rug for Raven's Chaos Corner. You can watch from a SAFE DISTANCE" She insisted, backing away and shooting finger guns at the younger boy, who smiled and shot them back.

"Jeez, Clarke, took you long enough!" Bellamy admonished, loading his shotgun and slinging it over his shoulder.  
"Relax, Bell. Murphy said there was only a few Walkers and a couple Runners, this'll be a piece of cake" Jasper piped up from next to Raven. 

"You should never go into a fight with that attitude" Bellamy insisted sternly, his military side showing. "You'd be begging for them to take a bite out of you"  
"Aight, sarge..." Jasper mumbled and the others grinned. 

"Right, then" Clarke said, standing before her gang. She unslung her Batchete, grinning at the freshly-sharpened blade sticking out of the top of the wood. "Let's send these fuckers back to hell!"  
Her gang plus the other volunteer fighters cheered, all except for Jasper and Raven, who saluted goofily to an exasperated Bellamy. 

The gate opened, and the group eyed the pack of infecteds stumbling towards them.  
Clarke caught Bellamy's eye and grinned.  
Together, the gang charged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for some major corpse ass-kicking next chapter!


	4. apollo and mulan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a bit of angst but mostly fluff.
> 
> raven is a banshee, bellamy is a protective older brother, jasper is the annoying cousin, octavia is intimidating af, clarke is the mother hen and aden punches something again.

Aden had managed to clamber up onto a pile of abandoned supplies, ignoring the curious glances thrown at him. Peering over the gate, he stared in awe at Clarke and her friends fending off the zombies.  
Octavia, the brown-haired, intimidating one, was whirling around with a machete, lopping off dead limbs and slashing in wide arcs, looking painfully like someone he knew.

Lexa could have corrected her form if she was here, Aden thought with a pang. She needed to pivot on one leg more instead of moving both her feet too much; it was more efficient. 

The Ark's inhabitants could certainly handle their own; the floppy hair guy was sticking zombies with his long knife, a clumsy-looking boy with goggles next to him flailing around with what looked like a misshapen crowbar, and Aden's mouth actually fell open in shock when he spotted a familiar flash of blue beside another girl further down the clearing. 

Clarke was one of the best fighters Aden had ever seen. 

The blonde didn't stop for a second.  
She was in the middle of a group of the slower zombies, cut off from the rest of her friends, which would've been a problem except she was clearly in her element. 

She was a whirlwind. 

One second she was slashing the head off of one infected, then she was wheeling around and kicking another in the back of its knees; it flopped forward and she stabbed it in the head, twirling her knife as she wrenched it out and smashing the zombie's head behind her to bits with an upward blow of her bat with the blade sticking out. 

Clarke clearly surpassed the skills of the others by far, although Octavia had a certain grace with her movements as she essentially danced her way through a path of strewn rotting bodies.  
Raven, thought Aden fondly, certainly gained points for enthusiasm. 

She'd been out of sight round the corner, but now she made herself known...very loudly. 

Aden chuckled dryly as he saw the brunette scream, letting out what could only be described as a war cry as she barrelled into the clearing, managing quite well considering her metal brace on her leg clunked and threatened to spill her onto the ground.  
She hefted her machine gun and peppered the mass of undead in front of her with bullets, still shrieking madly, seemingly unbothered by the looks the others sent her. 

Aden felt a flutter of nerves as he spotted some of the faster zombies approaching from the cover of the trees to the right.  
"We cleared that area last week. They're moving around a lot more recently" Aden heard a worried woman say to someone, pausing in her action of soaking a bunch of clothes in a soapy metal vat. 

That much was true. The zombies were seeming more...motivated?..recently, more desperate for human flesh and less content to hide in the shadows and waste away. 

A scream caught his attention, and Aden snapped up to see an older man sprawled on the ground, struggling to reach his pistol as a fast zombie bore down upon him.  
He watched worriedly as the man wrestled with the zombie, a hulking bare-chested one that scrabbled at its victim, hissing and swiping. 

It reached forward to presumably take a bite out of the man's arm, and Aden was close to scrambling off the box and limping over to help, but the zombie's head was suddenly blown from its shoulders, its body flopping back. 

The brown floppy hair guy nodded to the panting man on the ground who was spattered in blood and brains, before turning his shotgun to another target. 

Clarke had told him one time that they obviously avoided using guns as much as they could, knowing the zombie's attraction to noise, but that wasn't the case here in open ground. 

Speaking of, where was she?  
Aden searched the clearing, cringing at how many fast zombies had emerged, sprinting forward and howling.  
Oh, there she was. 

Clarke had abandoned her bat; it lay on the ground a few metres behind her closer to the gate along with her blue jacket.  
She now revealed her faintly muscular arms as she sent bullets into the brains of zombies, clutching the pistol with both hands and gunning down approaching foes with well-aimed pops. 

God, Lexa was going to love her.

Another five minutes and the clearing was littered with bodies, and several exhausted people stood gasping for breath as they wiped their melee weapons on the ground. 

Aden carefully made his way off the bunch of boxes to go meet them, when a voice close by startled him.  
"Need some help?" Someone sneered, and Aden fell back against the hard cardboard packages in surprise.

An older teenager stood in front of him menacingly, brown hair poking out over his forehead of his hood, fists clenched as he glared down at Aden.  
Aden raised his eyebrows, bending down to grab his crutch, only to have the other boy in front of him snatch it up quickly. 

"These came from our supplies, didn't they" He stated, eyes boring into Aden's. "Why'd they waste them on you?" 

Aden stared back resiliently, before reaching out a spare hand, the other still clutching his notepad.   
Give it, he said with his eyes. 

"What, cat got your tongue, cripple?" He spat, and Aden's jaw clenched. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down before he attack one of Ark's people and betray their hospitality. 

"Hey" The boy snapped, clearly not stopping anytime soon. "I'm talking to you!"  
He threw Aden's other crutch to the side, and shoved him back into the boxes.  
Aden winced as the crates dug into his back, but he still glared back up at the towering hooded asshole. Daring him. 

"DAX!" came a hard voice, and they both turned to see floppy hair striding towards them, covered in blood and shotgun slung over his shoulder.  
"What's up, Bell?" 'Dax' said coolly, still trapping Aden against the crates. 

"The fuck are you doing?" floppy hair demanded, wrenching Dax away by his arms and glowering at him.  
Dax glared back. "This random kid shows up out of the blue and eats our food, enjoys our camp and steals our medical supplies and for what? He doesn't walk or talk, he just sits there waiting for Griffin to spoon-feed him-"  
He never finished his sentence due to Aden's fist in his face. 

Dax staggered back with shock and fury flickering in his expression, stumbling over the crutch he'd thrown aside.  
"Nice one" floppy hair observed. "Got to him before I could"  
He winked at Aden, who was breathing hard, clutching his fist.  
Of course he'd punched him with his bad hand; pain ached deeply in his knuckles. 

"You'll fucking pay for that, you little shit-" Dax spat, before floppy hair shoved him back again.  
"You better get back to your mates, Daxton" The taller boy warned, the long knife hanging from his belt clinking threateningly. "Go bully some old person and steal their fake teeth if that'll make you feel more intimidating" 

Aden nearly smiled at the utter disbelief in the other boy's face, before he turned on one heel and stalked off.  
"Sorry about him, he's always been a selfish wanker with a grudge against anything with a pulse" floppy sighed, bending down to hand Aden his other crutch. 

Aden nodded. floppy stood their slightly awkwardly, before suddenly extending his hand.  
"I'm Bellamy, Bellamy Blake. I'm Clarke's freind, and Octavia's my sister" He introduced himself, and Aden clasped his hand and shook firmly, causing the other boy to break into a wide grin.  
"You wanna go grab some dinner?" He offered, and Aden shrugged but smiled.   
Bellamy seemed cool, and if he was a friend of Clarke's he couldn't be all that bad.

"Did you see when I flipped that Runner over and stabbed it in the back???" Jasper asked excitedly, his adrenaline still pulsing through his veins.  
"We didn't, unfortunately" Monty said dryly, submerging his dagger into the soapy water before scrubbing it with a sponge. "According to the fact it didn't happen"  
"It so did, I swear!" Jasper said defensively, scowling at his best friend. 

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty" Octavia mumbled beside them, eyebrows furrowed as she cleaned her machete carefully. "Break it up before one of your tiaras gets dented"  
"Sod off, O" Jasper said lightly, poking her on the arm. 

The three of them turned around at the raised voices in the corner of the room, only to turn back around again and busy themselves with identical expressions of "yikes".  
Clarke was furious with Raven, scolding her passionately for running so soon and endangering her hard work of recovery. 

"I'm sorry Clarke, it just felt so good to be useful again!" Raven pleaded, and Clarke sighed.  
"You are useful, Rey. You make so much cool shit for us! We wouldn't know what to do without you, but you need to take it easy" She demanded, turning away briefly to place her pistol back in the little drawer she had all to herself. Perks of being a good fighter. 

"But it felt like I was actually doing something for once, instead of lazing around inside my shack and waiting for the soldiers to come home..." Raven grumbled insistently, and Clarke turned back to her. 

"I know, babe. But this is for your benefit. The more effort you put into healing the sooner you'll be back out on supply runs, wreaking havoc and being our favourite badass" Clarke said. "Trust the process!" 

"You guys coming to get food?" They heard Octavia ask cautiously behind them, and Clarke nodded at her.   
Raven looked a little defeated, and Clarke knew her well enough to see the tiniest hint of pain in her expression that she couldn't quite conceal. Her leg was dealing with the repercussions of all the action.

"cmere.." Clarke muttered, leaning forwards and wrapping her arms round the taller girl.   
Raven sighed and hugged her back tightly.  
"M sorry, Clarkey" She murmured, and Clarke smiled faintly into her neck.  
"Don't apologise, its alright. i know its fucking hard" She replied, rubbing soothing circles into the brunette's back. 

Raven nodded.   
"Besides, you kicked ass out there. The war cry? Amazing..." Clarke admitted, and Raven let out a raspy chuckle.  
"Let's go get some food. I'm pretty sure my mom said they had pork in today" She murmered, and Raven drew back, smile stretching into her usual grin.  
"We better get there before Jasper inhales the entire supply" Raven said as they started walking, Clarke deliberately going at a slower pace so the other girl's leg wouldn't be put under too much strain. 

"Or Murphy picks a fight with someone over the bread" Clarke added, and they both snickered as they left the Armoury. 

"You know, I never liked him" Jasper claimed, stretching back in his seat and scowling over at the opposite end of the small dining area where the subject of the conversation was sat with some other teenagers.  
"None of us did, he's an absolute twat" Monty said, ripping his roll into chunks. "But you only hate him because he beat you at UNO that one night" 

Aden grinned at that, and Jasper narrowed his eyes at Monty.  
"You know he cheated" He growled, pointing at Monty angrily. "He looked at my cards, the cheeky bugger!"  
"Well I'm just glad I nicked his booze while I had the chance" Octavia piped up from beside Bellamy. 

Aden had been introduced to Clarke's friends by Bellamy, and he was content to just sit and eat, enjoying their conversation. It also helped distract him from the pain in his hand that he was currently hiding; the swollen fist was concealed within his hoodie sleeve. 

"Jasper also hates him because he got the better sleeping bag" Bellamy added. "Dax got there first and nabbed it. I'm pretty sure Jas threw a tantrum"  
They all laughed, Jasper throwing them glares as he stuffed his face with salad.

"Did Bell go apeshit on Dax?" Octavia asked Aden directly, and the younger boy nodded gleefully.  
He opened his notepad, slightly uncomfortable at the stares.  
'he called him daxton' he wrote. 'it was hilarious' 

Octavia burst out laughing. "Ohh shit, he went there" She coughed out, and Bellamy rolled his eyes.  
"I didn't even get to whack him" Bell complained, now adding lettuce to his plate from a bowl on the bench. "Pipsqueak here took care of that himself" 

The others sent questioning looks towards Aden, who shrugged.  
'he was annoying me' Aden wrote; Jasper laughed at that.  
"He deserved a good sock across the face" Bellamy claimed angrily. "Aden can throw one hell of a punch, you should have seen Dax's face..." 

"ADEN PUNCHED DAX??" came a shriek, and Aden groaned and slumped his head on the bench once again as Raven eagerly limped over towards them.

Clarke was over by the water jugs talking to Abby and Kane about how they could bagsy a truck for Aden tommorow when she heard Raven.  
She spun around quickly, and saw Raven madly pumping Aden's hand up and down...again.  
"Sorry, mom, I'll catch you later.." Clarke blurted out, before pushing past people to get to their table, missing Abby's proud smile. 

"What did Aden do?" She demanded, and the table fell silent.  
Bellamy cleared his throat. "Dax was picking on Aden, Clarke. Shoved him into some boxes and took his crutch."  
At this, Clarke stiffened, turning to try and spot that hooded fuckface when Octavia yanked her back.  
"Siddown, Repunzel. Aden already got him good, didn't he"  
She relented and sat, still fuming.  
"Did you use your right hand again?" Clarke groaned, leaning forward to drag Aden's arm onto the table. 

At this, Aden finally met Clarke's eyes. Clarke cringed when she saw guilt and apprehension as he nodded hesitantly.  
"Hey, I'm not mad. I'm proud you whacked him, he's a dipshit" She stated firmly, and Aden smiled faintly. 

"What do you mean again?" Bellamy asked curiously as Clarke gently slid back Aden's right sleeve and uncurled his tight fist, apologising as he winced. 

"Ohh, Aden here had a disagreement with the medbay wall" Clarke said nonchalantly. "In Aden's defense, it was an extremely arrogant wall, it was begging to be pummelled"  
Aden caught her eye again while she was inspecting his knuckles and grinned; the others looked confused, apart from Raven, who reached over and ruffled his hair proudly. 

"Fuck, kid, you don't do it by the halves" Jasper noted admiringly, staring at Aden's purpley yellow fist.  
The boy rolled his eyes and picked up the pen. 

'ive been trained to deliver lethal blows since i was a fetus. i came out of the womb punching the air' he scrawled with his left hand, and felt pleased when the teenagers laughed at the image.  
"I bet you were one of those babies that sharpened lollipop sticks instead of playing in the sand pit" Monty said around a mouthful of lettuce. 

"Jas, pass the pork, will ya?" Raven yelled over the chatter of conversation in the dining hall, and Jasper stuck his tongue out at her.  
"What's the magic word?" He asked, faltering only slightly at Raven's intimidating death stare. 

"Enough, before Jas wets himself" Clarke said distractedly, still feeling Aden's hand for a fracture.  
Jasper pouted but picked up the bowl and slid it over the table.  
"Did you know that there's a stew technique that people in medieval times used to do called perpetual stew?" Monty said to no one in particular. 

"The fuck does that mean?" Octavia said dryly, and Monty brightened.  
"Basically, they keep the same pot and they add literally whatever is edible on hand, and if its constantly kept above the 'danger zone' they can keep it for years, creating a perpetual cycle of adding ingredients to it and removing from it!" He exclaimed. 

Bellamy and Raven looked horrified.   
"That sounds delicious" Octavia deadpanned, yawning loudly. Not much ruffled O.  
Aden wrote 'id be fine with that unless it had mushrooms in it' 

Clarke sat back with a sigh, oblivious to the conversation.  
"You've avoided any fractures still, a bloody miracle. But promise me you'll avoid punching anything for at least another week..." She joked, and Aden nodded. 

"Mushrooms are fine, mini Clarke, the fuck you on about?" Jasper scoffed. "Tomatoes are the real evil in the food world."  
"No way, what about pears?" insisted Raven. "Squishy satan incarnate" 

Aden chuckled lightly at that, a little surprised at the 'mini Clarke'  
Clarke seemed to be on the same line of thinking, as she repeated the term questioningly. 

"Well, you both have blue eyes and blonde hair" Monty said thoughtfully. "and Aden's just proven that he has your Gryffindor-esque brashness and ferocity."  
"You're both sassy as fuck, too" Bell added, the others humming in agreement.  
Clarke looked at Aden with a smirk, and he smirked back at her.  
Raven started listing the nicknames they had for Clarke which they could now call Aden since he was blonde too whilst Clarke leant over to see what Aden was drawing. 

"-unny, sandy...uhh..ginger snap, almond...I remember Murphy called Clarke 'yellow pages' a while back.. " Raven mumbled as she counted on her fingers.  
"That was funny" Monty snorted, and Jasper went "OOH! you forgot bumblebee..." 

Clarke glanced at them, amused.  
"goldfish, sunflower, cheese..." Jasper muttered, and Raven started a new set of finger counting. 

Aden finally swivelled round his notepad.  
It was a detailed drawing of a man with a blonde quiff riding a chariot past the sun. The words 'my sisters call me Apollo' were written below it, and Clarke absolutely beamed. Shit, he could draw fast. 

"He's a frikkin artist, too!" Bellamy exclaimed. "Yall are twins!"  
"He's a carbon copy!" Raven laughed, and Aden shoved her lightly. 

"That's really good" Clarke commented on his drawing, poking him lightly.  
He blushed, shrugging. 

Clarke lowered her voice and added "Mom told me earlier that we can get you back to your family tommorow"  
Aden started, looking at her with mixed emotions. She could see excitement, relief, gratitude, but also a flicker of sadness. 

'will you come with me?' he wrote quickly, and she smiled.  
"Of course, sunshine. You'd be lost without your better half" She said, and he rolled his eyes. He did that a lot. 

'just a warning...anya and lexa are quite...untrusting' Clarke read.  
"But they won't go crazy and try and kill us, right?" She asked, and Aden shook his head firmly.  
'lexa's the smartest person i know. she won't do anything like that' he wrote, and she smiled. 

"Lexa sounds cool" She admitted.  
Aden had spoken about them briefly before, in one of their late night chats.  
Lexa was their leader, and Anya was sort of her second. A woman named...Indra?. was the group's head hunter, and a man called Lincoln was the best at cooking.

Clarke had been interested in the mechanics of their group, but also respected how Aden might not want to reveal everything to her. 

'she is. she's even better at fighting than u' Aden wrote, a glint in his eye.  
Clarke gasped in offence. "I beg to differ!"  
Bellamy had been reading upside down what Aden was writing, and he let out a bark of laughter.  
"There's no way your sis is better than Clarke, she's a machine!" He insisted.  
Clarke felt her cheeks warming up and she fiddled with the roll on her plate. 

"Yeah, she's fuckin Joan of Arc!" Jasper called from down the table where the boy was participating in yet another armwrestle with ... Murphy? When had he come over?  
"If Joan of Arc had a bat and countless knives secretly shoved up her orifices for emergencies" Raven mused, and Bellamy spluttered out his water as the others roared with laughter. 

"...I don't even want to acknowledge that" Clarke sighed, slapping Bellamy on the back as he choked, water dripping onto the table as the others snickered.  
"If Clarke is simultaneously Bouddica and Joan, who am I?" Octavia asked just as Jasper let out a huge groan in defeat, Murphy slamming his hand down.

"I win again, noodle boy" Murphy crooned, snatching up the cereal bar they were playing for.   
"I reckon O would be Mulan" Monty stated, and Octavia grinned, suddenly turning to Clarke, who was watching sternly as Bellamy drank water to calm his throat. 

"Griff, if you draw me as Mulan, I'll do your laundry tonight" O pleaded, and Clarke chuckled.  
"Go on, then" She agreed, and O grinned, grabbing Aden's pad and shoving it towards her, winking at the younger boy. 

Clarke felt a little nervous at the eager teenagers watching her (Murphy and Jasper weren't paying attention, they bragging loudly about how many infected's they'd killed) as she started to draw. 

"Didn't Mulan have like a lizard?" Raven commented, and Bell shook his head in disgust.  
"She had a dragon called mushy or something" Clarke murmered as she sketched the beginnings of a scabbard for Octavia's rapier. 

"mUSHY-" Bellamy started furiously.  
Aden leaned over and wrote with a spare pen he dug out of his pocket: 'octavia seems more of a princess leia or a merida'  
Octavia gave Aden a blinding grin, and Clarke was surprised at how fast she'd melted.   
They all couldn't resist Aden's charm. 

The sky turned darker outside the pavilion and people began to trickle away, back to their little homes or to their duties.  
It was a warm evening, and Clarke liked the sweet smell in the air.  
It reminded her of old times, the memory coming to mind when her and Jake went camping in a field.  
They'd roasted marshmallows, and her dad had even brought a guitar along, singing softly and sweetly. 

Jake had inspired Clarke's passion for singing, but it felt private.  
She never sang around anyone, only alone or occasionally with Raven, who she'd known her whole life and so had been there to see that part of Clarke wither and die.  
She'd been there to pick up the pieces, too. They were family.

It was a sadder night for Aden.  
Even though he was eager to be reunited with his family after weeks, he was saddened to leave this amazing place and its people.  
Maybe he and Clarke could meet up some times, or he could convince Lexa to make some sort of alliance with the people of the Ark. 

The more Aden mulled it over, the more determined he became, and he fell asleep on the bench despite the noise thinking hard.

Bellamy glanced over at the dozing kid, blonde strands of hair puffing out of his face as he snored softly, and made a shushing motion to the rest of the table. 

Jasper and Monty's singing thankfully died down as Bell nodded to the sleeping boy. 

Clarke smiled warmly down at him, stopping her drawing momentarily to adjust the way Aden was slumped so he wouldn't get a sore neck.  
Bellamy watched with a little pride at how soft the mighty Clarke Griffin was being with him, but felt a little sorry for her as he was leaving tommorow, and they didn't know what would happen after that.

Clarke grinned tiredly as Octavia gushed over the sketch, promising to come and collect her clothes later so she would wash them.  
"Thanks O, I'm knackered" Clarke admitted with a yawn, as other girl smiled and said her goodnights to the gang.  
"Auntie Rey Rey needs her shut-eye" grunted Raven as she distangled from the bench and gave Clarke a hug, pinching the blonde's cheek to make her squirm.  
"I'll see you back at HQ" Raven said, before peeling off to use the toilet. 

Clarke and Raven had been roomies ever since Arkadia was assembled, Octavia practically their third roommate with how often she spent nights in their shack.

Clarke turned back to the table, where Murphy was balancing the pen on Aden.  
One withering glare and he was backing away with a 'sheesh'.  
She scooped the boy up in her arms, tucking the book under her chin as she carried him bridal-style across the camp towards the medbay room that had become his temporary living space.  
Clarke nodded to Jackson, and the man smiled before opening the door for her.  
She breathed out a brief thanks before settling Aden into the bed, placing his notepad next to him on the crate. 

"goodnight, apollo" She whispered into the dim room, before shutting the door quietly and making her way down the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)))))


	5. Trikru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke, Bellamy, and Raven accompany Aden as he reunites with Anya and Lincoln and the rest of the Trikru. Lexa will be back from hunting soon though.. 
> 
> also Raven flirts a LOT and Bellamy sucks at charades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I massively enjoyed writing this chapter, flirty raven and stiff but flustered anya!!

"You okay?" 

Aden shifted to face Clarke, and nodded.  
He was riding shotgun, the blonde having volunteered to drive and insisted he keep her company in the front seat. 

How would I do that non verbally, Aden had asked earlier, writing quickly into the notebook as they'd walked towards the truck. 'Its not as you can read the notebook whilst driving' 

Clarke had pulled a face. "I'll be able to occasionally...its not like there's road rules anymore"  
Aden had rolled his eyes. 

"So I was thinking about cutting my hair, you know" She said, starting the car with a soothing rumble. "Both for fashion and practicality."  
Aden raised his eyebrows and smiled. 

"Would you go short short?" came the familiar gruff voice from the back. Bellamy and Raven were tagging along, eager to both support them and see the mysterious group for themselves. They were also deemed responsible and trustworthy by the Council; Raven's presence was one Clarke had to fight for, promising her best freind wouldn't blow anything up or do something Raveny.

"Yeah, go pixie like that chick that makes the bread with Monty sometimes!" Raven exclaimed, and Clarke rolled her eyes.  
"I doubt that'd suit me, to be honest. I've got a really round face shape.."  
"Nah, it'll look awesome!" Raven protested. 

Aden was a teensy bit worried about the initial reactions his family would have to seeing him bundled up in a military truck with three random teenagers. But, they'd trust him.   
The second they saw him safe itd be fine. 

Plus, it was better three teenagers than Kane and Abby and the other leading people all turning up and shocking them. They were lucky that Kane had let them go like this, although insisting they at least try and get Aden's family to visit them so they could come to an arrangement or something. 

The conversation became background noise, and Aden turned to look out the window.  
As the sights rolled past, he thanked whatever deities out there that they only had to drive for about an hour; he wasn't used to being in a vehicle after years of being on either horseback or on foot. 

Clarke, ever observant, had noticed his slightly pale complexion, and had discreetly passed him some gum, something Aden appreciated greatly as she must not have much.  
The mint helped, though, and it was sort of nice being able to just watch the trees and abandoned buildings from behind a window, safe from any trouble.  
He savoured the feeling.

Clarke flipped Raven off in the rearview mirror. She was glad that Aden had zoned out, or it looked like he had anyway.  
"Don't even, Ray" Clarke warned.  
Raven snickered. "Oh cmon, I'm just curious. You never talk about the...saucy...parts of your love life!" 

"And for a goddamn good reason!" Clarke argued, glancing at Bellamy for help; he just smirked and leaned back with a 'you're on your own' look.  
"Just one tiny detail!" Ray begged. "Or, answer me this. Who was better in bed, Finn, or that girl who left a couple months ago..."  
Of course, now Aden was paying attention shooting her a curious glance. 

Clarke inhaled deeply through her nose, glancing at the map on the dashboard. They were about ten minutes away from where Aden had promised his group would be camping out, apparently they didn't plan to move on until in about five days, but he'd also been confident they wouldn't have left without knowing Aden's state. 

"I'm betting Finn" Bellamy commented dryly, and Raven threw him an amused look. "Of course you would"  
"Hey" Bellamy shrugged. "Guys are good in bed, Raven. We have the advantage of-"  
"Bell, shut your fucking mouth" Clarke practically growled. "There are young ears in our proximity"  
"Oh please!" The boy responded. "He's more mature than Sparky here" 

Aden grinned as Raven scowled. "Sparky is so lame"  
"Just like you, dear" Bellamy shot back, and Clarke raised her hand as they started squabbling. "Hey, hey, no fighting on my ship" 

"Of course you're the blonde gay pirate in your fantasy, Clarkey" Raven sang, reaching forward in her seat to fiddle with the coils on her brace.   
"Bi..." Clarke grumbled. 

She made a turn through some overgrown passage, passing some overturned mossy cars and other bits of random wreckage.  
Clarke yawned slightly; They'd headed out quite early, while the sun was just poking out behind the trees. 

An unexpected roar of laughter blasted her ears off and caused her to curse heavily as she swerved. It was very lucky she was the only car in the lane.  
"The fuck?" She cried out, glaring into the mirror, only to raise her eyebrows at Raven holding up Aden's book, where a sketch of herself was standing on the prow of a ship, cutlass outstretched toward a strip of land. 

There was a speech bubble above her head with the words 'ONWARDS, FELLOW GAYS. FOR THE BOOTY!" 

Clarke threw a glance at Aden, amused.  
He grinned proudly but sheepishly as Bell and Raven continued to wheeze in the backseats.  
"Your face!" Ray gasped out. "You look so stupid-"   
"Thanks, Ray" Clarke rolled her eyes. 

Aden caught her attention a few minutes later; thankfully the clowns in the back had sobered up, Bellamy having regained his composure and returned to his serious-looking self, Raven the complete opposite as she resembled a hyper puppy, practically bouncing in her seat. 

He tapped her knee and pointed out the window, and Clarke slowed the car down to read the faint black letters on the bench rusted sign: Polis Point 

"This is it, gang" Clarke let out slightly nervously.   
"I'm not going if you call us gang" Raven said firmly. "You may refer to us as Da Clique and nothing else"  
Bellamy looked at her with exasperation. "Should we...get a move on? So Aden can finally get back to his people?" 

"Oh, right!" Raven exclaimed guiltily, leaning forward in her seat to put her chin on Aden's shoulder. "Sorry, kid"  
Aden just nodded at her, and eagerly clicked open the door, grabbing his crutches and stepping out carefully.  
Clarke slid out her side, slamming the door and wincing slightly as it disturbed the silence. 

At least it wasn't likely that there were infected's around here, with Aden's group so close. 

The three Ark teenagers followed the blonde boy, who limped forward down a forest path Clarke hadn't spotted before. They made sure to keep up as he went faster, and she made sure to place a careful hand on his shoulder at one point to slow him. 

He seemed to get the message, as he proceeded slower down the winding route that was bathed in the golden sunrise.  
It was a beautiful forest, with shining golden leaves crunching underneath their footfalls and insects buzzing in the morning air.

Raven and Bellamy made casual chatter as they walked, Bell carrying Aden's book and pen for him.   
Clarke loved to see how her group had interacted with her friend, it was heartwarming.  
From what Aden had said, there weren't many younger people in his group, just his sisters. 

Soon they reached the end of the secluded path, and Clarke placed a hand on Aden's shoulder comfortingly when she heard his intake of breath.  
Ahead of them were dozens of tents, people milling about and doing tasks.  
Wisps of smoke drifted through the air toward them, and Aden wasted no time in limping forward eagerly as soon as Bellamy had handed him his notebook, which he tucked under his arm before gripping his crutches determinedly. 

Clarke debated for a moment, but decided to hang back with her mates at the edge of the clearing; they were just about concealed enough so the people working away hadn't noticed them, but the buzz of voices soon stopped as Aden approached. 

"ADEN!?" came a sort of strangled shriek, and Clarke smiled slightly as a tough-looking woman about her age emerged from one of the bigger tents, looking shocked.  
She was dressed in faded cargo pants and a grey t shirt, but laden heavy with a rough jacket and various belts and buckles that secured weapons to her slim body. 

She let out a yelp as she sprinted forward, past the murmering people and slamming into Aden.  
The two hugged, and from where Clarke was standing nervously she could make out their resemblance. 

She had dirty blonde-ish hair, and high cheekbones that were adorned with some sort of war paint.   
Clarke assumed this was Anya, as she had been told Lexa was way taller than him; this girl didn't fit that description as they swayed in their embrace. 

She started talking to him, waving her hands about passionately as she checked him for any other injuries, and as he turned to hug the others, Clarke glanced back at Bell and Ray.  
"Maybe we should go wait over there until they're ready?" Clarke suggested, motioning to where a log conveniently lay in the midst of greenery. 

Bellamy nodded, and they discreetly slunk off.

Aden grinned madly as the teenager in front of him scooped him up and swung him around, laughing his deep throaty chuckle.  
"You strong, little man!" Lincoln growled, hugging him warmly before setting him back down on the ground carefully. "Strong fight within you!" 

The boy smirked, and leaned against the wagon nearby. Anya was busy reading the page that he'd written beforehand, her eyebrows lifting as she scanned the page incredulously, and, Aden noticed, a hint of suspicion.  
His heart sank. But he'd convince her! 

Speaking of, where had his new friends got to? He turned back round to look where he'd come from, but Anya pulled him into another tight hug.  
"I'm so glad you're okay" She murmured. It wasn't often Anya showed emotion, so it was a little disconcerting, but he appreciated it all the same. 

"Where'd you get those?" Someone piped up, pointing at his crutches. The others that surrounded them soon started asking questions, until Anya held up her hand. The chatter died away a bit, and she passed the notepad back to her brother.  
"Aden was helped by a group of people that live in some place called Arkadia.." Anya stated, raising her voice. 

She had a lot of authority over the camp, not as much as Lexa but a lot. 

As she explained, Aden scribbled in the book, holding it out to Lincoln.  
He glanced at his hasty writing before smiling.  
"Lexa's out hunting with Titus and Indra" He murmered. "She'll be so relieved. Our Commander hasn't been herselfthese past weeks, hard to imagine why"   
Aden nodded thoughtfully. She wouldn't have shown it, of course. He'd never even seen her cry before, she'd always been cool and collected even before everything went to shit. 

"Aden?" Anya asked, and he faced her. "Where are these three you wrote about?"  
Aden nodded back at the entrance to the area, and she pursed her lips.  
She debated for a moment, and Aden shifted on the spot, before grabbing the pen from his jean pocket and scribbling in the notebook quickly.  
Anya smiled when she saw he'd just circled a previous sentence he'd written: 'we can trust them. 

"What was your friend's name? Clarke?" Anya checked, and he nodded eagerly. "Okay..."  
His sister stepped forward, parting the crowd slightly as they made way for her; she walked a bit closer to the edge of the clearing before calling out in a strong voice. 

"Clarke?"

Aden grimaced as the people behind him all started talking in hushed voices, Lincoln came to stand by him protectively.  
After a few moments, Aden smiled as Clarke stepped out of the trees with a nervous look on her face. 

She walked forward confidently, though, leadership practically emanating from her.  
"Anya, right?" She spoke, reaching where the crowd parted and standing a few paces away respectfully.  
It felt wierd to be so separate from the fellow blonde after weeks of closeness. 

Anya nodded, clearly sizing her up. "That's me."  
Clarke smiled, seemingly encouraged. She strode forward and offered her hand.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you" She said sincerely. Please shake her hand, Anya, Aden begged internally.  
His sister stared at her hand for a moment, before clasping it tightly with her slightly grubbier one. 

Anya inclined her head as they shook. "We have much to discuss"  
Clarke nodded, before sending a quick grin towards Aden, who beamed back. So far, so good.  
The surrounding people began to disperse, still a faint buzz of excitement in the air. 

Anya opened her mouth to say something when they all heard a loud "ahem!", and Raven limped forward from the bushes with a cheshire grin on her features.  
"Don't mind us, Griffin" She called as she approached, a cautious Bellamy jogging behind her. "We know we're easily replaced" 

"Oh god, sorry" Clarke exclaimed, beckoning her best friend forward. "This is Raven-"  
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Raven drawled suddenly, stepping closer than was probably appropriate and smirking coyly at Anya. Oh, god. At least she hadn't bowed or kissed her hand, both things he was sure she was totally capable of doing.

Anya regarded her with a stoic impression before nodding stiffly.  
" ..aaaand this is Bellamy.." Clarke muttered, motioning to were Bell stood awkwardly, fiddling with the strap of his backpack. He waved at them. 

"May I just say...your eyes are utterly prepossessing.." Raven continued, wiggling her eyebrows at Anya before Clarke was elbowing her.  
"You've literally been here twenty seconds and you're already flirting" She mumbled, casting an embarrassed and apologetic look at Anya and Aden; Aden facepalmed while Lincoln burst out laughing, there was a faint ripple of laughter behind them from the people who had stayed to watch.  
"This one's got game" He remarked, stepping forward. "I'm Lincoln, by the way. You guys seem cool, and you're friends of pipsqueak here so that makes you decent humans in my book" 

Bellamy smiled politely and offered him a fist bump; Lincoln obliged eagerly, while the others stared.  
"Ahhhh, the alpha males are bonding already..." Raven muttered, and Aden snickered. 

"Right. So this is Lincoln, he handles the food and the horses." Anya recovered. "Lexa's our leader. We call ourselves Trikru. Our sister is out with Titus and Indra hunting, they'll be back around noon or so."   
She paused when Raven finally tore her eyes off of her and began glancing round the camp excitedly. "You guys have horses??" 

Aden could have sworn he saw Clarke stiffen at that.  
Lincoln nodded proudly. "We have nine, they're useful for scouting out areas and moving all our stuff from camp to camp" He claimed cheerily. "I'll show you later if you want" 

Raven winked. "I might just take you up on that offer"   
Clarke rolled her eyes. "Anyway...if you have somewhere we could talk that would be great"   
Anya mulled it over, still studying the three teenagers. Aden didn't miss how her murky eyes trailed over Raven's figure more than once.  
"Follow me" She said finally. 

"Christ, sunshine, what were you thinking??!" Clarke chided the younger boy; they sat on one of the logs inside Anya's tent. "You're one lucky bastard"  
"You have our mother's bravery" Anya spoke up, eyes trained on Aden, with a stare that would be deeply intimidating to anyone else. 

Aden looked down at his boots at that.  
Anya had been explaining to the Arkadians how he'd gotten himself into the trouble they'd rescued him from. 

"Ade here thought it would be a good idea to wander off and get trapped in an alley with Walkers" She had said sternly, and Aden scowled as she relived it. 

Aden glanced up when Raven nudged his boot; the others had drifted into discussion about their respective groups.  
"You okay there, kiddo?" She murmured, and Aden nodded with a glare.  
Raven's face split into a grin. "I don't care how much you hate it, you're kiddo to me. Its either kiddo or I'll have Jasper invent some sort of hideous nickname that you'll be stuck with forever" 

Aden continued to death stare Raven, until she straightened up on the log beside him, shifting so she could stare right back at him.  
A few moments passed and she had yet to break her gaze. Oh, they were having a staring contest.  
Ohh it is on, Aden thought, and he smirked while widening his eyes slightly. 

They locked eyes for about a minute before the girl's eyes started to water, and she scowled but didn't let up her gaze.  
"Uhhh, guys?" Clarke called from her own log in a confused tone. They ignored her but grinned at each other. 

"Yo, medusa. we're tryna have a serious discussion here" Anya's voice said dryly to Raven.  
Aden snorted as Raven simply whistled and held up a finger. "One second, honey. He's about to break, I know it" 

Lincoln burst into his rumbling laugh, and Aden could hear how flustered his sister was when she exclaimed hotly "Don't call me honey! I don't even know you!"  
"Whateeever you say, darlin" Raven mumbled, waggling her tongue at Aden in an attempt to make him laugh. 

Clarke sighed quietly beside Anya. "I'm so sorry about her, she's always like this.."  
"YEAAAH I am!" Raven hollered loudly, and Aden finally broke, wheezing out raspy sounds that resembled laughter as he fell back onto Lincoln.  
He didn't register the shock in Anya and Lincoln's faces as he blinked his watering eyes rapidly; They hadn't heard him laugh like that in forever.

"OH, BABY!" Raven crowed, standing up clumsily and nearly tripping over the wood as she threw her arms up in victory. "Auntie Ray Ray takes the crown!!"  
Anya stared up at her, utterly bemused. Raven had that impression upon some people. 

"Siddown, Reyes" Bellamy finally muttered, leaning over from where he'd been sat by the end of the tent and yanking her back down. He'd been trying to fix the frequency on their radio; it seemed Jasper had been fiddling with it again.  
"Anything for you, Bella Italia" Raven sang, blowing a kiss when Bellamy shot her a withering glare at the old nickname. 

For the second time that day Anya seemed at loss for words; just watching the newcomer's antics with half amusement half confusion. 

"I used to work at a Bella Italia" Lincoln piped up suddenly. "I was the head chef."  
'I never knew that' Aden wrote, leaning his pad against his good knee. 

"Lucky you" Clarke chipped in, finally giving in to the strange informality that had been struck up. "I got an amazing year of experience of the world of industry at Tesco before the world decided us puny humans should pay for our idiocy" 

"Oh cmon, Griff. Your pay wasn't half as crap as mine!" Bellamy retorted, face furrowed in concentration as he stared at the radio screen. "Three years at Burger King for nothing.."  
"Not true, you had the pleasure of giving me secret discounts" Raven smirked. "I remember how adorably worried you were everytime you did. 10p off a blueberry muffin? Oh, the travesty! The cops were practically kicking the door down at such an atrocious crime" 

The group burst out laughing, Bellamy flipping Raven off.  
"I worked at a candle shop myself" Anya spoke up, in the same deadpan voice but with a hint of shyness that only Aden could detect. "The pay was good but I caught on fire twice"  
"On fire, you say?.." Raven smirked, leaning into the other teen's space. She licked her finger and made a show of pressing it to Anya's arm, hissing. "absolutely smouldering" 

Anya blushed violently as she glowered at the mechanic, catlike eyes narrowing even further.  
"Bellamy!" Clarke quickly cut in. "How's the radio coming along?"  
The floppy-haired teen shrugged. "I'll figure it out, just remind me to give Goggles a good whacking when we get home"  
"You'll do nothing of the sort" Clarke chided. 

"Toss it over, Bellboy" Raven instructed cockily, catching the metal device with ease as Bellamy tossed it over reluctantly.  
Aden zoned out as he breathed in the familiar smells and feelings of his home, his people. He'd missed them awfully.

"When did you say your sister would get back?" Clarke asked Anya, scraping her knife along the coarse branch she held, flicking off the rotten bark. "Soon, right?"  
Anya nodded. They continued to work in silence, preparing suitable wood for a campfire. 

It was slightly awkward, just the two of them. In another life they might've got on better, without the burdens of responsibilities and cautionary instincts about weighing them down.  
Clarke thought about starting a conversation several times as they wandered through the wood, adding branches to their pile. Anya didn't really seem in the mood. 

Just when Clarke turned and opened her mouth to say something, Anya said from her crouched position: "Aden likes you"  
Clarke shut her mouth. Anya continued rooting around in the undergrowth, before tugging out some roots with satisfaction. 

Clarke nodded. "Yes, the feeling is mutual. He's a good kid"  
Anya stared down at the roots in her grimy palm for a while.   
"He's been through a lot. We all have, and there's no guessing that you have too. So when he turns up her after weeks of being missing.." Anya's eyes suddenly snapped up to Clarke's as she stepped forward, gaze intense and slightly menacing. "..laughing and joking with these teenagers that he's only known for so long..." 

She stopped directly in front of Clarke, murky green and coppery eyes adorned with intimidating black paint boring into cerulean. "Well. I guess that means you can be trusted. To some degree, anyway"  
Clarke blinked in surprise. She'd held her ground, ready to argue against any suspicions the other girl might have. 

"I...I hope you may come to see that for yourself" Clarke said, tentatively smiling. "Until Bell gets the goddamn radio working, I speak on behalf of our Council when I say that we'd love to..get to know you" 

"Lexa will talk to you of this" Anya murmured, eyes softer and more distant as she stared past her. "She decides what is best for us, but there is a small element of democracy in it too" 

Clarke grinned. "I have a lot of influence over our Council myself. They seem to think I'm good at decisions"  
Anya rolled her eyes, but without malice. "Arrogant too" She stooped down and gathered up some logs, pausing to tuck the odd root into one of the many pockets on her person. "Come on, Lexa will be back soon" 

Clarke nodded, and they made their way back to the camp.

"Okay, okay....one word...a movie...with the sea....uh... Jaws?" Bellamy guessed.  
Raven shook her head angrily. She repeated the same wave motion but then stood straight and thrust her arms out in a t pose.  
Bellamy stared while a group of people from Aden's camp laughed lightly.  
"Fuck, I dunno..." He muttered, then turned to the blonde beside him. "You got any ideas?" 

Aden shook his head, smile wide as he watched Raven growl in frustration. The brunette wasn't kidding when she said she was competitive. 

They were say outside in the sort of communal area, and the sky was steadily growing darker, and Aden could hear crickets chirping in the overgrowth.  
Clarke and Anya were sat nearby but separately, talking seriously.  
The Arkadians had made the agreement with the Council on the radio to wait for Lexa (who was frustratedly taking her time) instead of going back home, and Anya had assured them they could stay the night. 

Bellamy pulled a face as he studied Raven's flapping form. She went back to the wierd pose, then gestured for him to guess wildly.  
"Uh...i dunno, Ray..."  
He made another futile attempt at a guess as Aden scribbled something in his book and held it up to him. 

"AHA! YOU'RE JESUS!" he claimed proudly, standing up for effect.  
Raven stood there gaping in disbelief.  
"I cant believe you're not getting this..." She muttered.  
She glanced round at the nearby huddle of people that were amused by their antics.  
Bellamy sat down again, disappointed, as one of them, a slender teen with black hair, stood up and approached. 

Aden recognised her as Emori, a quiet newcomer who'd joined their group after deserting the people that had driven the Trikru out of their home.  
"Excuse me, sorry. but that was painful to watch, and you're quite obviously acting out Titanic" She chuckled, and Raven groaned loudly. 

"How did you not get that?!!" She cried at Bellamy, who shrugged and bit into the apple he'd stuffed in his pocket that morning. "Sorry" he mumbled around a mouthful of apple; Aden cringed and slapped his arm lightly when bits of apple spewed. 

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Bella" Raven said indignantly, marching over and throwing a friendly arm round Emori, who looked startled but pleasantly so. "That movie is stupid but iconic"  
Emori nodded in agreement.

Aden glanced round at Anya whilst Raven and Emori started swaying and warbling some sort of song: "Neeeaar, faaar, wherever you aaaaaree..." , and nearly snickered at how she was staring intently at Raven's arm still slung round Emori's shoulder; he caught her eye and waggled his eyebrows, she scoffed and turned back to a bemused Clarke. 

'this is Bellamy and Raven' Aden wrote and showed to Emori.  
"I kinda know of your group actually.." Emori admitted, moving to sit on the log beside Bellamy. "I ran into trouble a while ago with this guy called John, he rescued me from this apartment block down by the City of Light. He mentioned that he was on his way to a place called Arkadia before we had to split up, i never saw him again"  
There was a hint of wistfulness in her tone as she said that last part. 

Bellamy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "John? John Murphy?"   
Emori nodded, looking faintly amused when Raven guffawed and slapped her knee. "He let you call him jOHN?"  
'why didn't you tell us about Arkadia?' Aden had written and passed over to the girl. She took it and shrugged as she read it. "I wasn't sure it was even real or an actual thing, John was off his tits when he rescued me." 

"That sounds like Murphy" Raven admitted.  
Bellamy grinned. "Maybe you could come and meet him sometime"  
Emori looked delighted and started asking questions about the camp.   
Aden felt movement and smiled when Anya sat down beside him on the log.  
She grabbed a stick and prodded at the embers of the fire; they flared up and hissed.  
"Lexa's going to be so relieved, Ade" Anya said quietly, the flames flickering in her eyes. "She didn't sleep for days when we couldn't find you on that trip. She searched for hours, eventually killing all of the corpses in that area-" 

Aden let out a small gasp. There had been so many of them, a horde bigger than even the one the Arkadians had faced yesterday.  
"There was a big chance you had escaped, so Lexa's been going back to that spot every other day to check again" 

Aden's eyes watered, and Anya tugged him close.   
He sniffled as she muttered thickly: "Don't you ever scare us like that again, Apollo. Or I'll kick your sorry arse.  
Aden laughed wetly, writing on his wrist while still hugging her: ' yes ma'am'  
She smiled wryly and they enjoyed their embrace for a few moments before turning round at Raven's shriek of laughter. 

"She's a right pain in the arse, isn't she" Anya remarked, studying the mechanic who was now positively howling with mirth, slumped over on the log as she wiped her eyes.  
It seemed the cause of her amusement was a severely mortified Bellamy, who was throwing the weirdest body movements. 

Clarke snickered, putting her arm back to make sure Raven didn't smack her head on the ground as she wheezed. "Sex in the City?"   
Bellamy growled and actually stamped his foot like a toddler, before blushing when he realised half the campfire's gatherers were staring at him.   
This only caused Raven to laugh even harder, and Clarke broke out into laughter as Bellamy continued his wierd thrusting movements, accompanied with a sort of jazz hands. 

The fire illuminated Aden's notepad as he wrote.  
Anya scowled at his words: 'shes pretty into you, An'  
"Shut up" She muttered. "I bet she flirts with half the camp by tonight"  
'shes very friendly and touchy, but I can assure you she doesn't look at Emori the way she looks at you' Aden wrote with a smirk.  
Anya flicked his head.

"HOW ARE YOU NOT GUESSING THIS, GRIFFIN?" Bellamy whined loudly. "We watched this at a sleepover round yours ages ago!"  
Clarke shushed him with a grin. "It's a good job this lot have cleared out the area of Infecteds. You're so loud there's Runners in England trying to swim across the ocean to reach us" 

Emori smiled and began to say something about England, when there was a noticeable change in atmosphere. 

The camp quietened and conversations hushed as a group of people emerged from the darkness, their silhouettes drawing closer.  
Even Raven shut up as Aden stood quickly, forgetting about his leg; Clarke reached up to steady him. 

"What's going on here?" called a strong, commanding voice. 

At last, the leader of the Trikru appeared, gliding gracefully over the leaves and mud before stopping suddenly as she noticed the people round the campfire.  
Hard green eyes found blue, and Aden smiled as Lexa stared at him in shock. 

Then.. 

"Aden?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it, but remember...comments really motivate me to write ;)))


	6. Daddy Deadpan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> introducing Lexa :))
> 
> also Raven's a sneaky wingwoman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I wrote lexa okay, I know there was a lot leading up to this point!
> 
> thank you for all the comments and that, they really motivate me!

"...Aden?"

In an incredibly poetic way time seemed to slow, as Lexa stood as still and as graceful as a marble column, her eyes widened and her lips parted.  
Not that Clarke was paying attention to Lexa's body, she was simply admiring from an artists perspective. Definitely.

Anya broke the silence.  
"He arrived this morning with these three" She said, gesturing to the Arkadians. Raven grinned toothily, and Bellamy waved.  
Lexa didn't seem to hear her, eyes still locked onto Aden, who gave her a reassuring smile. 

That seemed to do it, as Lexa suddenly surged forward, dropping her rucksack. Even her frantic movements seemed graceful, Clarke thought both in awe and envy; this woman seemed to glide as she approached and gently wrapped Aden up in her arms. 

She had a little more awareness of Aden's healing state, as she didn't clutch him as tightly and roughly as her sister had that morning.  
They swayed for a bit, Clarke stepping back to give them room from where she had been supporting Aden with her arm, his crutches lying forgotten on the ground. 

Clarke was faintly aware of chatter starting up, people from the camp most likely filling in Lexa's hunters, and Anya was shifting around behind her.  
The blonde finally tore her gaze away from where the two siblings were having their moment; she walked over and sat next to Raven and Emori.  
"She's hot" Raven commented quietly. Clarke shrugged, as if she hadn't noticed, as if her eyes hadn't just been tracing over Lexa's muscled but lithe form, or the delicate arches of cheekbones and her jawline that looked like it could sever a spinal cord. 

Bellamy started to whisper urgently, and Clarke forced herself to listen as he voiced his musings out loud.  
He wanted to stay at the camp for the night, if Lexa allowed it, and then go maybe try and set up a form of communication between the camps- 

"Woah, Bell." Raven interrupted. "I'm as peachy keen as you are to become BFFs with this lot, but don't you think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself?"  
"I'm just planning ahead" He replied, twirling a twig in his hands.  
"I mean, their leader looks like she wants to crush Clarke between her thighs right now. Something I'm sure our Clarkey wouldn't be opposed to" Raven mumbled, looking past the blonde. 

Clarke stiffened. "She's looking at me?"  
Bellamy snorted. "One pretty woman walks into camp and Griff transforms from basically the leader of the Ark to a flustered schoolgirl"  
Raven burst out sniggering and Clarke reddened, scowling. 

"Shut up, Bellend" She growled, before looking at Raven slightly helplessly. "Do i introduce myself? Are they talking? Is Aden okay?"  
"Chill out, repunzel. They're fine. They're coming over now, actually" Raven whispered with a smirk as Clarke's eyes widened, barely having time to try and rid her face of the stupid blush before Aden was tapping her shoulder. 

"Hey" Clarke said, looking up at his tear-stained face, dirty blonde curls dangling in his eyes.  
He grinned and beckoned her over, limping on his crutches over to where Lexa was now sat on a log, face unreadable but still slightly threatening as she studied the page Aden had given to Anya that morning.  
Anya was talking quietly to Lexa beside her. 

Clarke stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets as she walked over, trying her best to look composed. "Hey" She said to Anya mainly, somewhat feebly. Anya gave her a smirk.  
"Thank you for helping my brother" Lexa said suddenly, eyes still trained on Aden's book. Clarke's breath definitely didn't hitch as she saw the brunette up close, her face illuminated with a glowing orange. 

"Of course" Clarke replied, her voice huskier than usual from all the talking she'd done that day. "We were happy to"  
Aden sent her a smile, and she smiled back, before glancing back at Lexa, who was now looking up. 

Oh, jesus. 

Her eyes were a deep green. They were guarded yet curious, flames dancing in the foresty pools as she eyed Clarke carefully.  
"You seem to lead your people" Lexa spoke again. God, even her voice was beautiful, it was soft and slightly raspy. "Are you in this Council that runs Arkadia?"  
"Not really" Clarke admitted with an easy grin (she missed how it was Lexa's turn to gulp as the blonde smiled). "But I've lead in certain situations before in the past, and a lot of the people at the Ark listen to me, so...I guess I play a part" 

Lexa nodded thoughtfully, gaze still intense and ever so green.  
"Would you and your friends want to stay the night?" Lexa continued, and Clarke's jaw nearly dropped in surprise. She wasn't expecting that. 

"Uhh..yeah. If that's alright with you" She stammered. Fuck. "Thank you"  
Lexa inclined her head. "But I must ask something of you first" The leader of the Trikru added, and Clarke felt her insides tighten. She nodded tentatively.  
At this, Lexa stood, her head just a bit taller than Clarke's. 

She stepped forward, and Clarke refused to squirm. Christ, this girl was fond of the theatrics of intimidation. She should teach a class-  
"I ask that you eat with us" Lexa said softly, her green orbs shining from within the black facepaint that dripped artistically down the soft slopes of her cheekbones. 

Clarke was taken aback once again, but she grinned anyway. "That'd be awesome"  
Her smile must have broken the other girl's impassiveness, for Lexa let her stony expression break to give her a small smile, a smile that would remain embedded in Clarke's mind for days to come.

"I was so sure Daddy Deadpan was going to deck you" Raven spoke up suddenly, and Bellamy choked on his food. The poor boy couldn't catch a break.  
Clarke sent the giggling latina a withering glare as she patted her friend's back.  
"Daddy Deadpan?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow as she handed Bellamy water. 

Raven smirked and tore up her bread. "Ya. Deadpan, cuz, well...I dont think I've seen an expression so guarded, and Daddy....is self explanatory..."  
Clarke rubbed her face in exasperation, choosing to ignore Raven's gleeful remarks at her blush and dipping chunks of bread into her stew. Which was delicious, with some sort of meat and mushroom and herb, courtesy of Lexa's hunt and Lincoln's culinary skills. 

Clarke decided to change the subject before Bellamy choked again or her face chose to remain crimson permanently.  
"Remind me to thank Lincoln again" Clarke said, her spoon scraping the bottom of the metal dish. "This shit is good"  
"If you think this is good" came a voice, as Emori walked over and slid onto the log beside them. "You need to try Linc's apple pie" 

"How in the heckity heckington does Lincoln make apple pie?" Raven demanded. "It needs sugar and pastry and..."  
"He has his ways" The teen responded, uncapping a metal flask. "You guys want some?" 

Raven grinned and made 'gimme gimme' hands, not even hesitating in taking a hearty swig. She smacked her lips thoughtfully.  
"It's good" She commented, as Emori stared disbelievingly. "..what?"  
"I literally have to sip that...how the fuck did you just down that like it was water??" Emori asked, and Raven looked proud. 

"She's used to Monty's moonshine" Bellamy grunted.  
"Ray drinks spirits like they're hot chocolate" Clarke added, laughing. "Though drunk Raven is someone you need to watch out for.."  
"Excuse me, I am an absolute delight" Raven claimed indignantly, and Bellamy snorted.  
"You cycle through like seven different moods..." He retorted. 

Clarke nodded in agreement. "Remember when you got plastered at Jasper's birthday two months ago and you tried to fight the fridge?"  
Emori mumbled 'you guys have a fridge??' but Raven scoffed over her. "I did nOT"  
"did too!" Clarke argued. "And you cried all over my mom because she wouldn't let you, I quote, 'have a slumber party with the cows'"  
"You guys have cOWS?" Emori spoke up, and Bell nodded as Clarke and Raven continued to bicker.  
"We have a few cattle, they're super useful for supplies and meals and things, its good we have a former farmer with us that knows how to make cheese and stuff.." 

Emori chuckled. "former farmer.."  
Bell grinned. "Murphy babysits his kid sometimes"  
At the mention of Murphy, Emori pursed her lips thoughtfully.  
"John...does he..do you know if-"  
She was interrupted as a bread roll sailed past her shoulder. 

"Oops!" Raven crowed. "I was aiming for Bellingham!"  
Bellamy groaned and set empty dish down, hopping off the the log to retrieve the bread.  
"You just wasted this perfectly good bread roll, Reyes" He complained.  
"Nah" Raven dismissed, reaching forward to pluck it out of his hand.  
"Ohh Ray, cmon!" Clarke cried as Raven bit into the filthy roll without even brushing the dirt off. "Gross!"  
Raven made a show of opening her mouth to reveal the chewed up bread inside, and Clarke wrinkled her nose as Emori laughed beside them. 

"We're in an apOCALYPSE, Clarkey" She mumbled as she chewed. "What would dear mama Griffin say if she saw you wasting food?"  
Clarke rolled her eyes, looking away. Lincoln had made his way over and was talking enthusiastically about the soup to Bellamy. Clarke's breath hitched yet again as she locked eyes with a certain someone, who was observing her silently from across the expanse of ground.  
Lexa fucking Woods somehow managed to make sitting on a tree trunk look queenly, and her stare didn't falter once. 

"-arkey? Clar- oh." Raven was calling.  
Clarke wrenched her eyes away from the captivating Trikru leader. "Hmm?"  
Raven was smirking at her with an expression that couldn't be associated with anything good. 

Anya, Lexa and Aden were sat together on the opposite side of the huge campfire, separated by small groups of campers that talked in considerably quieter voices than the Arkadians. Clarke grimaced slightly as Bellamy let out a booming laugh at something Lincoln had said; they had come in here and disturbed the peace with their rowdiness. 

"Lexa was so checking you out, man" Raven hissed, and Clarke smacked her knee.  
"Shut up!"  
"I'm serious, she hasn't taken her eyes off you for like five minutes!!"  
"She's just sizing us up.." Clarke muttered, ignoring the pleased stirring in her chest.  
"Oh, please..she wants a piece of the Griffin Tiffin.." 

Despite the situation, Clarke had to laugh at that. Raven's nicknames were something else. She was pretty sure she was going to rip the stitches she had in her side months ago when her best friend had referred to Octavia as 'a slice of the Blake Cake'  
Raven grinned even wider.  
Without warning, she grabbed her leg and swung it up onto Clarke's lap, the heavy brace knocking her dish to the ground with a clatter. 

"Ray!" Clarke admonished, as the brunette batted her eyes at her.  
"Can you tighten the bottom coil? It hurts my back when I reach it..." Raven pleaded, Clarke not noticing the mischief that sparkled in her doe eyes.  
"Fine..." Clarke grumbled, hands fiddling with cold metal as Raven glanced away at something. "But your back only hurts because you spend all day hunched over your workbench...at least Monty has the good sense to take breaks and stretch. You just work all day without stopp-" 

Raven cut across her by bursting out laughing, her snorts drawing the attention of everyone in their proximity.  
Clarke stared, bemused, as Raven lost it for like the tenth time that day. God, she was like a puppy when you take it on walks. She forgot how hyper Raven got on trips. 

"My hypothesis has been proven correct" Raven giggled, beckoning Clarke closer.  
The blonde leant in, still confused, and Raven whispered in her ear.  
"I've been testing my theory concerning Lexa's obvious infatuation for you. She got all stiff and sad when we were laughing together, I think she thinks we're looovers" 

Clarke sat back with an incredulous look.  
"Oh come on, I literally met her three hours ago.."  
"Love at first sight, my petulant friend...She's enchanted by your volumptous bosom-"  
"Raven!" Clarke hissed, hitting her lightly again. "Stop it! You're imagining things"  
"Trust me, as soon as we started getting chummier she looked like someone had pissed into her soup-" 

"Fucking hell, Ray.." Clarke huffed, placing her leg brace down carefully and scowling. "Leave it"  
"Hey, don't attack the wingwoman" Raven protested, but held up her hands in defense when Clarke shot her another glare. "Fine, I'll drop it"  
"Thank you" Clarke huffed, reaching into her backpack and grabbing her own sketchpad.  
"Do you think she's single?" 

Raven was saved from being throttled by Clarke as Lincoln called across the log to them.  
"Yo! I bet they don't make soup as good as that back at the Ark!" The bald teenager wiggled his eyebrows competitively.  
"It was really good, Lincoln. Thank you" Clarke said, smiling.  
"Yeah, I'd sacrifice Bellamy to the Aztec deities if I could eat that everyday" Raven mused, and Bell thanked her sarcastically.  
The group conversed happily, and soon people were heading to their respective tents as the moon rose, just like back at the Ark. 

Lexa had assured them they'd be safe, and had insisted they sleep beside her and Anya's tent, where most of the people acting as guards were.  
She had refused adamantly when Clarke had volunteered for night shift, after all, she was unaware of Clarke's sleeping issues. 

Sometimes the young Griffin could just tell when she was going to have a bad night, and unfortunately, tonight was one of them.  
Raven's loud snores would've been comforting in their familiarity, if not for the buzzing in her brain that drowned out the sounds of the camp. 

She sat up in her sleeping bag Anya had provided, trying to control her harsh breathing as she stared at the flickers of a distant torch.  
An owl hooted somewhere, and Clarke gritted her teeth. 

The silence was maddening, her brain overwhelmed by the buzzing and the silence simultaneously. 

She needed to walk, and so she got to her feet slowly,though she knew an airhorn wouldn't wake the sleeping latina beside her, no less her rustling.  
Her legs carried her over past Aden's tent to where they'd emerged from the path lead to their truck, and she clenched her fists as the night loomed. She was oblivious to a set of eyes watching her.

It was suffocating, the inner pain that faded and was suppressed clawing at her insides, demanding to be let out. 

Her hands felt cold metal, and Clarke realised she'd walked all the way to the truck.  
She couldn't even get in, Bellamy had the keys. 

Clarke sighed heavily as she slid to the ground, slumping against the black tyre and kicking a stray leaf with her combat boot.  
She was so happy during the day. Why did it all have to come back during the night like some sort of time bomb? 

She wasn't a fucking werewolf, it wasn't like everytime she saw the night sky her trauma broke through the floodgate and threatened to break her.  
But she was so alone at nights, even if she had been staying up for girls nights with O and Ray, she became more subdued and her brain became fuzzier. 

Speaking of fuzzy brains, Clarke's seemed to be on overdrive, voices hammering against her skull and memories floating about like fragments of a puzzle that had lost their place.  
She leaned her head back with a dull thunk against the wheel, staring up at the glittering sheet of black that hung above.

That was a mistake.

She didn't notice the tear rolling down her cheek as her eyes traced the glowing flecks of light that formed Cassiopeia, the beautiful Celestial being that her father had told her about, all those years ago. 

"This, Clarke" He had said, guiding her small arm up to point at a pattern of stars in the night sky. "Is Cassiopeia, one of the brightest constellations in our universe."  
Young Clarke had gazed up in wonder, imagining the Greek Queen riding upon a white stallion, golden robes flying behind her as she continued her eternal journey toward her husband, King Cepheus. 

Of course, her dad hadn't told her the real Greek myth, where Cassiopeia was nothing more than a vain tyrant who was punished for her boasting by being exiled to the sky. 

"It's beautiful" Young Clarke had mumbled, and Jake had smiled warmly, telling her all the constellations that his father before him had told him, and soon the pair were giggling from Clarke's own constellation: Burnt Toast. 

Clarke could see Burnt Toast, gleaming in all its glory. She could also picture her dad's face, smiling as he cracked a joke, before he was screaming in pain as a Walker sank its teeth into his wrist.  
She could see him writhing on the floor back at the Ark as his limbs contorted, could see his tear-stained crumpled face as he held her hand one last time. 

She could hear the gunshot as she'd sprinted away, vaulting over the then semi-built gate and running off into the night, sobbing brokenly as Raven and Finn's voices called out behind her.

Another tear rolled down her cheek as she clasped Jake's silver watch, her unsteady breaths wheezing out. 

"Clarke?" came a voice, and she jumped, startled.  
Oh, fucking hell.  
She barely made out Lexa approached her slowly; she had changed out of her fighting clothes from earlier and was now wearing simple black leggings and a fuzzy grey sweater. 

If Clarke wasn't choked up with tears and reliving her father's death she would've laughed at the Commander of the Trikru looking so adorable and soft. And godlike. 

"Clarke?" Lexa repeated, more soft now that the taller girl could see her tears; Clarke sniffled and frantically wiped her face with her sleeve.  
"Fuck. Hi. Its...uh. A good night" she stammered, face reddening as she made a twat out of herself in front of the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. 

Lexa tilted her head. She looked so young without the black paint, so innocent."Is that why you're out here? To admire the beauty of the night?"  
It took Clarke a second to realise she was joking, and she let out a choked laugh.  
"Oh yeah, totally. I'm having a blast right now" 

Lexa moved forward, and Clarke looked down so quickly she nearly got whiplash; staring at those legs would not lead her anywhere good.  
"May I?" The green-eyed girl asked softly, gesturing.  
Clarke chuckled, sniffing again. "Be my guest"  
Lexa sat, pulling up her legs and resting her arms on top. 

They sat in silence, though the silence was different from before. Gone were the voices, lessened was the buzzing of her brain, and she could hear crickets chirping and Lexa's steady breaths. 

"I doubt you trust me" Clarke spoke up after a while, after her breathing had calmed and her cheeks had dried.  
Lexa stilled in her movement; she had been ripping up tufts of grass. "No"  
"And yet you're sat out here with a stranger at night" Clarke continued, having no idea where she was going with this.  
"Yes" Lexa breathed. Clarke smiled faintly at her so very enthusiastic answers. 

"In the cold"  
"Yes"  
"Why?" 

Lexa went quiet, before answering "You looked upset, so i followed you. It's unsafe at night"  
Clarke snorted. "I have a knife in my boot, I'm fine"  
Lexa turned her head slightly. "So do i" 

Clarke turned her head too, her blonde curls ruffling in the wind slightly. Their eyes met.  
Clarke burst out laughing. She was slightly hysterical, but she couldn't help her raspy chuckles as they tumbled out of her mouth. 

Lexa stared at her before a smile slowly spread across her expressionless face, and Clarke grinned at her. "Twinzies"  
"You are one of a kind, Griffin" Lexa laughed lightly, and Clarke's heart twitched at the beautiful sound. 

She wanted to make her laugh again. 

"It still isn't safe" Lexa added, and Clarke tilted her head towards her again, absent-mindedly fiddling with Jake's watch.  
"I think it's okay. Especially when I have the mighty Lexa of the Trikru with me"  
Lexa rolled her eyes. "Shut up"  
Clarke smirked. "I bet you can hold your own in a fight" She husked, eyes trailing over Lexa's curled up form; the brunette blushed painfully in the dark as she shrugged. 

They drifted back into silence, the breeze had died down and it was a little warmer but Clarke still shivered. Lexa had suggested going back, to which Clarke shook her head. The blonde had then told Lexa she didn't have to stay out there with her, to which she also received a stubborn negative. 

Clarke broke the silence by pointing up at the sky.  
"Up there is Burnt Toast. It sits just below Cepheus, a little to the left of Cassiopeia. I made it up with my dad when I was younger" She had absolutely no idea why she was telling Lexa this, why she was talking about her dad to a girl she'd known a few hours.  
Lexa hummed, and Clarke began to talk.  
She talked about the times before the apocalypse, but also of Jake's kindness, his sense of humour. She told Lexa about his fondness for digestive biscuits, and how he always made sure there were at least three emergency packets in the cupboard at home. 

They even laughed when Clarke mentioned how in holiday she had applied suncream on her dad's back, but only in certain places, so a massive dick was practically burned into his back.  
He had found it hilarious, her mom less so. 

She told Lexa how her dad died two years ago next week.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up" Clarke mumbled after a while of silence that was surprisingly comfortable. The emotional turmoil and talking had left her completely drained. "And spilling about my angst to a literal stranger"  
"I hope we've passed the stranger phase now" Lexa said quietly, a little shyly.  
God, this girl was so different to the one who had strode into the camp, adorned with warpaint and wearing black fighting attire, swords slung over her back. 

Clarke smiled and patted Lexa's knee; the brunette flinched slightly and Clarke apologised, removing her hand.  
"Sorry....Raven's inate sense of cuddliness and tendency to invade personal boundaries rubs off on me sometimes..." 

Lexa nodded, and Clarke's face fell. Oh no, she'd freaked her out or something.  
"She's certainly something" The brunette admitted, voice fragile for some reason.  
Then: "How long have you been dating?" 

Clarke stared at her with disbelief. Fuck, she hated when Raven was right.  
"Oh my god..." Clarke giggled. "We're not...we're not dating..."  
Lexa's eyes widened and she apologised.  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to assume.." 

Clarke waved her hand. "No, no, its absolutely fine. She's been my closest freind since we were kids. She's family. But I guess we do look pretty...intimate.. sometimes.." She laughed again, relieved when Lexa joined in.  
"What about you, then?" Clarke asked boldly; Lexa seemed to shrink. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking...it's okay, its private... though it is a bit wierd how I've been spilling parts of my life to you for an hour now..."  
"Clarke" Lexa stopped her rambling gently. She loved how she said her name. Like it rolled around in her mouth. "It's okay." 

She opened her mouth, when a strangled screech came from the trees.  
Clarke shot upright, hand flying to wrench her knife out of her boot, before there were gentle hands on her arm.  
"Its okay" Lexa whispered, smiling reassuringly in the dark. Clarke ached to see her smile in the light, where she could immortalise it on paper with her charcoal. 

Clarke looked back at the trees confusedly. "Wasn't that-"  
"It was just a fox" Lexa soothed, her hands still gently resting on either side of Clarke's arms. They were warm and grounding. "Not a corpse"  
Clarke nodded, the adrenaline fading quickly, her previous exhaustion returning more forcefully. 

Lexa seemed to notice how she drooped, as she stepped back, removing her arms. Clarke mourned the loss.  
"Do you think you can sleep?" Lexa queried, and Clarke bit her lip.  
"Probably" the blonde said, turning and shoving her hands in her pockets. "All tired out from a good sob session and ranting about how hard life is" 

"Hey" Lexa said suddenly. "It's good to get it all out sometimes, and I was happy to listen. You know, your dad sounds like he was an awesome person"  
Clarke didn't stiffen, didn't flinch like she normally did when someone mentioned Jake.  
What she did do, was sigh, before suddenly turning back round and staring intently into Lexa's green eyes. 

Blue met green once again, and Clarke breathed out in a voice thick with emotion "Thank you"  
Lexa smiled. "Anytime" She said, and Clarke grinned. "I may hold you to that" 

Lexa blushed, and Clarke smirked.  
"Shall we, my Commander?" she drawled loudly, bowing and sweeping her arm back in the direction of the path.  
Lexa rolled her eyes and started walking, Clarke falling into step beside her.  
"So how long have you guys been in this group?" Clarke asked, and the two continued talking quietly as they made their way back to the sleeping camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope u enjoy the banter as much as I enjoy writing it..
> 
> also I hope I didn't write Lexa too soft, I feel like she just melts when she's around Clarke
> 
> also im thinking of writing some parts of the story in Lexas POV.... I'll see how it goes!


	7. anya's baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lexa talks to kane and abby over the radio! anya has strongs feelings for watermelon. also lexa is a huge gay idiot 
> 
> but we love our emotionally distressed babe <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me waayyyy too long to post aha  
> sorry bout the wait lads

Clarke awoke pleasantly that morning to a bottle of water squirted on her face.  
"-the fuck-" She spluttered, coughing, wiping at her face and glowering at Raven who was cackling loudly, oblivious to the Trikru who had risen early staring at her. They were probably starting to get used to the brunette's exasperating antics. 

"Raven!" Clarke hissed, grabbing her rucksack and hurling it at the girl's head.  
"What? You wouldn't wake up!" Raven cried, the heavy bag sending her backwards onto her arse beside Clarke's sleeping bag with an 'oof'. "I needed to resort to alternate techniques"  
"I'm gonna kill you, Ray..." Clarke mumbled, shivering as her damp hair clung to her hair, the usually light strands darkened with water. 

"Nah, you'd miss me" Raven grinned, scrambling to her feet rather clumsily and offering the soaked blonde her hand; Clarke scowled and got up on her own. 

"Oh good, you're up!" Bellamy called from behind them, striding up with Lincoln tagging along behind them. "Did you sleep well?"  
Clarke nodded with a smile a little too quickly, and she could see Raven's eyes narrowing out of the corner of her eye.  
"Did you know you sleep hugging your pillow?" Lincoln asked suddenly, and Clarke's cheeks reddened as Bellamy and Raven roared with laughter. 

"I...no..shut up" Clarke stuttered, and Raven wheezed as Bellamy poked Clarke's sodden shirt, confused.  
"Why are you wet?" He asked, and Clarke gestured to Raven with a grimace. 

Before they could start arguing, Emori jogged over with some bowls.  
All the teenagers were dressed properly apart from Clarke and had donned their weapons, so she knelt down to gather her things together.  
She stuffed her sketchbook into her bag as Emori let them know that Lexa had asked her to tell them that they were welcome to discuss things in her and Anya's tent in the morning. 

The teenager let out a yawn, and the others except Raven began to dig into their breakfast, the brunette instead kneeling down beside Clarke with a grunt, her metal brace clunking.  
Clarke opened her mouth to berate her for kneeling when Raven talked.  
"You didn't sleep well" The girl said simply, and Clarke looked away.  
"No" She said, grabbing her holster and fixing it to her hip, picking up the gun but finding Raven's hand preventing her from slotting it in. "Was it just a sleepless night, a bad night or a bad bad night?" She asked, and Clarke picked up on the concern in her brown eyes.  
"...a bad night" Clarke muttered, turning away and snatching up the sleeping bag. "But it was fine, it was...I was okay" 

"You're not telling me something" Raven stated flatly, and Clarke rolled her eyes.  
"Seriously, Ray. Lexa's waiting, let's just go, okay?"  
Raven studied her for a moment before relenting, sensing how her bestie was clearly not in the mood.  
Clarke rolled up her and Raven's sleeping bags, shouldering her bag before tucking them under her arms, and the group moved off to Lexa and Anya's tent nearby, Raven's happy chatter filling the air.

Lexa had remained awake that previous night.  
She'd watched Aden's sleeping silhouette, illuminated by the glowing lantern through the tent fabric.  
The brunette let out a long breath as she resumed sharpening her knife, dragging the blade along the grindstone she clasped with her other hand, focusing on the sparks and nothing else. 

Lexa didn't let her usually well-ordered and organised thoughts drift.  
She tried not to, anyway. 

Seeing Aden caused a typhoon of jumbled emotions, and she had to remind herself to breathe. Her brother was okay, he was safe. 

The second Lexa had laid her eyes upon the blonde standing protectively behind Aden, a hand on his back to steady him, she had again felt a flood of emotions that surged through her like bolts of electricity flowing through a wire, and she wasn't sure if she was jealous of how close Aden seemed with this stranger, or painfully attracted to her confident aura and dazzling smile. 

Anya had kept taunting Lexa with knowing smirks throughout the evening, Aden even teasing her about how she apparently kept staring at the Arkadian over dinner.  
The Commander of the Trikru didn't understand why she felt her cold facade slipping away when this Clarke Griffin joked with her, why she felt flickers of brief yet intense envy when Clarke had cuddled up with that brunette and fixed her brace for her, her beautiful blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, her tanned face lit up with firelight and grins. 

She was so fucked. 

Lexa growled and slammed her dagger down into the log beside her, the glinting blade quivering as it stood embedded in the bark. She was meant to be strong, goddammit. She was Lexa fucking Woods, she had killed more walking dead than the rest of her camp put together. 

The oldest Woods sibling breathed out through her nose again, prising her dagger out of the wood and rubbing her face tiredly.  
She wouldn't let this happen, she thought stubbornly. She wouldn't let this random girl affect her so deeply.  
Lexa stood, flexing her stiff, muscled limbs and cracking her neck, deciding to finally go back to her own tent. 

She needed rest after her hunt and after the emotional carwreck of that evening, needed to recharge and gather her wits.  
Lexa resolved that she wouldn't even so much as glance Clarke's way in the morning if they weren't discussing camp stuff.  
Lexa nodded to Gustus, who she had posted outside Aden's tent just in case, and began to make her way to her and Anya's tent. 

Clarke was just a distraction, one she wouldn't allow to affect her, Lexa thought firmly.  
She had nearly reached her tent when her eyes were drawn at that exact moment to where, of fucking course, a familiar someone was stumbling towards her direction, away from where the Arkadians had been sleeping. 

No. No, no, Lexa thought. Not her business, just go back to the tent and forget about her.  
But Clarke seemed distressed, her steps unsteady as she speedwalked round the edge of the camp toward the clearing exit.  
Lexa gritted her teeth. She couldn't form an attachment to her, she couldn't. She'd only get hurt, again. 

Thoughts of the past stirred, and Lexa scowled and stalked towards her tent determinedly. No.  
She had just brushed her hand across the material of the tent when she heard the blonde sniff, and the weak sound had Lexa's heart clenching.  
Fuck my fucking life, the Commander had thought bitterly as she turned on her heel and strode after Clarke, her footsteps a hunter's, trained and imperceptible, while the girl in front of her trampled clumsily through the grass and dirt.

Now Lexa was talking passionately with Anya about her plans for expanding the small garden they had started growing, while also teasing her for her evident attraction to a certain hyperactive brunette with a smart mouth.  
"You never let anyone shove you around like that" Lexa insisted, and Anya scowled, scuffing her boot on the ground.  
"I let you" Anya growled, and Lexa grinned cheekily. "thats because I'm the Commander. you have to obey me"  
"a duty i serve with great honour and loyalty, my queen" her sister drawled, and Lexa snorted and jabbed her in the ribs. 

"You haven't liked someone romantically in fucking years, An" she persisted, ignoring Anya's scoffs. "hell, the last time you got laid was months ago-"  
"We are not talking about Niylah, she was so annoying"  
"Don't be an asshole, it wasn't poor Niylah's fault that you didn't want to stay and cuddle.." Lexa retorted. 

"Whatever...I dont even care.." the blonde muttered, and Lexa smiled knowingly but stood up anyway.  
"Sure, An. Make sure to shoot extra sharp daggers at Reyes so she knows you wanna suck face" 

Anya shifted angrily, probably about to tackle Lexa to the ground for that but Indra came in, letting them know the fellow teenagers were outside.  
"aight, time to tango" Lexa muttered as Anya followed Indra out of the tent.  
Lexa made one more attempt at a promise, a promise she wouldn't let Clarke Griffin affect her. 

A promise she would most definitely keep. Definitely.

Clarke wanted to hang at the back of the group, instead of where she usually led things at the front. The dynamics of her and her friends was routine and one they were comfortable with; Clarke begrudgingly knew she was good at playing her part. 

But she knew she had to just power through the unsteady feelings in her gut that had sprung up when she'd remembered how she'd sobbed all over Lexa like a little kid that night, locking them up like she always did. 

A stern looking woman with buzzed hair and a tattooed face appeared to be twining some rope round a bundle of arrowheads near the front of Lexa's tent, and she got to her feet gracefully as they approached.  
This was....Indra? One of the hunters of the Trikru, if she remembered right. 

"Hi, Indra, right?" Clarke asked as they neared, and the woman eyed her with dark eyes and a cold expression. She nodded.  
"Lexa said we could meet her here to talk about arrangements for our groups" Clarke said, happy that she sounded confident. "Do you know if she's awake?" 

"Lexa rises early" was all Indra said, gazing at her and fingering the arrow she held.  
Clarke raised an eyebrow, aware of Bellamy and Raven shifting uncomfortably behind her. 

"Great...we'll just go on and head in, then.." Clarke said, trying to sound lighthearted.  
Indra wrinkled her nose and opened her mouth to say something, presumably scornful, when Aden came to her rescue. 

"Hey, sunshine!" Clarke greeted, a genuine smile now upon her face as the boy limped over to them. He fake scowled at her, but obliged when she offered a fistbump.  
Aden rested on his good leg whilst he got out his notebook that he'd had tucked under one arm, and Clarke saw the look of incredulity on Indra's face as they conversed so naturally. 

Indra met Clarke's eyes, then turned and walked somewhat stiffly back to Lexa's tent.  
Raven nudged her arm, and Clarke glanced back to see Aden holding out his book with the words 'when do you leave?'  
Clarke smiled sadly at his dulled expression.  
"Some time today, we need to talk things through with your sister first"  
"I'm so glad Kane replaced Jaha as Council Chancellor, can you imagine Jaha talking to Lexa?" Raven snorted. "He'd pop a vein at the thought of a badass group of warriors being lead by a teenager" 

"We're practically lead by Clarke" Bellamy pointed out, ignoring Clarke's glare. "She has a say in supply run locations, administration of goods.. and you know Kane isn't really Chancellor"

"Anyway, we'll talk about all this with Lexa" Clarke said, turning to greet Anya, who pushed her way out of the tent with Indra. At least Anya's stern face softened slightly when she saw them. Indra's remained about as friendly as a guillotine. 

"Hope you guys slept okay" Anya said, stoic as ever as she motioned for them to follow her into the tent.  
Raven transformed from sleepy Raven to Flirty Raven in record time at the sight of the Woods sibling, laying on her charm in an attempt to get the girl to show even the faintest of smiles. 

Raven and Anya were first into the tent, and Clarke tried to suppress the stirring feelings in her chest as she heard Lexa's voice.  
A muffled yelp had her turning in alarm, and she leapt forward in time to catch Aden, his left crutch slipping in a muddy spot. He growled in frustration, and she steadied him with a sad smile.  
"Just think how far you've come" She reminded the distressed boy gently; he sighed but offered her a small smile. 

She reached and took his notebook to carry for him, and turned to see Lexa standing outside the tent, holding the material aside so they could step in.  
Clarke's heart lurched when she took in her casual appearance, her long sleeved black shirt emphasising her lean form and skinny waist, and the faded black skinny jeans left little to the imagination as they defined her long legs. 

She'd been distracted last night and hadn't had the opportunity to fully admire Lexa's form, one that was infuriatingly attractive and brought a stubborn blush to her cheeks as she stared at her subtle curves. 

God, Clarke, stop ogling her, she's not a zoo animal, she chided herself as Aden carefully navigated his way round the wet patch on the grass.  
"Morning, Clarke" Lexa said softly, and Clarke swallowed, remembering how the other girl had walked her back to where her sleeping bag lay by the fire beside Raven and Bellamy, how polite yet unsure she had been when she wished Clarke goodnight and strode away, Clarke's eyes watching her every step. 

Clarke mentally switched on the light, the cheer that was manual yet became natural before too long. "Morning, my Commander" she grinned, warmth flooding through her when Lexa's lips twitched and she rolled her eyes.  
"Come on, Griffin" She urged, gesturing for her to enter, and Clarke stepped past her, their close proximity in that space causing her to smell something on the Trikru Commander...something... tree-ey.

It was more difficult than ever to focus.  
Lexa wanted to slam her head against a wall as she found her eyes wandering rebelliously to the beautifully dishevelled blonde opposite her, who for some goddamn reason had a wet shirt that she somehow managed to look cute in.  
"This Kane must be quite negotiable if he's allowed all these past situations" Anya mused, Bellamy just having described a bunch of things their Chancellor had done.  
Or, kind-of Chancellor as Raven had so aptly described. 

"Lets just say he's wayyyy better than Jaha" Clarke said amusedly, tapping a pencil against her leg as she sat with the other pulled up on the log (there is a lot of sitting on logs in apocalypses apparently), her chin resting her knee. The sound would've been distracting but considering that the girl's very voice was making Lexa suppress a blush it was tolerable. 

"You can say that again" Raven said, scowling. "The amount of times that git treated me like some sort of frail old woman as soon as I got nerve damage in this old thing" The brunette tapped her brace. "Honestly, the way I desperately wanted to stick his megaphone right up his stupid arse-"  
"I think they get the picture, Ray" Clarke chipped in, rolling her eyes.  
Lexa remained quiet throughout most of the discussion, half of her brain thinking madly about Arkadia and what this could be for her people and the other half trying not to swoon whenever Clarke's face lit up like the sun. 

Aden had written something and was showing it to Raven; the girl laughed.  
"He really did have a megaphone" She said as she stuck her hand in her bag for something.  
"It was so unnecessary" Bellamy grumbled. "Everyone could hear him anyway, he just liked making our ears bleed"  
"Sadist" Raven said, and Lexa stared in awe as Anya actually smiled in amusement. Her sister, smiling. She fucking knew it. 

Lexa decided she should break her silence.  
"I'd appreciate it if I could talk to Kane directly. I think it'd be beneficial for both of us to at least experience some form of communication, and that way we could set up a meeting face-to-face if that's best for our groups." She said, addressing Clarke.  
She noticed how it had fallen silent as she spoke, Lexa wasn't loud but she had always been listened to. 

Clarke nodded in agreement, and Lexa suppressed a smile as she witnessed Raven's open mouth.  
"Fuckin hell, they don't call you Commander for nothing" she remarked, grinning widely as Clarke smacked her on the arm lightly. "You sure you ain't distantly related to Ghandi or some shit-"  
"What does that even-" Anya started, with furrowed brows but was startled into silence as she hastily caught the...watermelon...that Raven tossed at her casually, now humming as she rummaged around in her bag. 

Raven seemed immune to the stares they all gave her, sitting up with a triumphant "HA!" as she clutched the black radio. "Knew it was in there somewhere..." she mumbled, and Lexa met Clarke's equally confused eyes.  
She ignored the spark of electricity that seemed to materialise as both girls finally looked at each other properly; Lexa was equally relieved and disappointed when Clarke broke their gaze to question the beaming latina.  
"Uhhh, Ray...whats with...the watermelon?" she asked, and Raven snapped up with a "oh, yeah, peace offering!" 

Anya held the watermelon gingerly, and Raven chuckled at her expression.  
"It's a melon, not a stick of dynamite" she drawled, and Anya flushed, surprising Lexa yet again. Anya never got flustered. "I wasn't sure just how badass the mighty Lexa of the Trikru was, Aden hadn't exactly guaranteed us silk and chaise longues" 

Lexa smirked at Aden, who smiled bashfully.  
"...and you thought a watermelon was going to save our asses from being kicked?" Clarke asked amusedly; Raven shrugged.  
"I was trying to get my hand on those fireworks Monty and I built last week, jazz it up a bit, but alas, your mother caught me when I was putting them in here-"  
"Should we get back to business?" Bellamy murmered, nudging Raven pointedly. 

Lexa felt a twinge of disappointment and shame, she'd enjoyed the carefree conversation while itd lasted. 

Anya nodded in agreement, still holding the melon with an odd expression.  
"So Kane said we could go ahead and call him anytime morning-midday, and I think he'll appreciate the honour of speaking to the Trikru Sergeant herself" Clarke said, grinning cheekily at Lexa.  
Lexa swallowed, allowing only a faint trace of amusement onto her face. The sun was beginning to stream through the fabric of the tent, and it gave Clarke a sort of angelic outline of light, brightening her wavy locks to gold and highlighting the adorable beauty mark on her upper lip. 

"Yeah" She muttered, before she realised how weak her response was. "Yes. That'd be good"  
Anya cast her a funny look, and Raven started twiddling the dials on the radio. 

Lexa tried desperately not to blush at her stammering, casting her gaze anywhere but the curious blonde, and instead finding Aden grinning at her, holding out his book so only she could see the little sketch of a mini Anya clutching a bunch of watermelons, little love hearts above her head and instead of her eyes. 

The words 'have you forgotten about Anya's infatuation for melon?' was written next to it on the page, and Lexa couldn't conceal her loud laugh as she glanced over at said girl.  
"What?" Anya demanded as her siblings sniggered and looked at her. 

If Lexa had turned her head slightly at that moment she would've seen the dumbstruck expression on Clarke's face as Lexa's laugh filled the tent. 

Lexa leaned forward to whisper 'didn't we use to stock up the fridge with melon whenever she had exams and was all pissy?'  
Aden snorted at the memory, and they both burst into giggles again as Anya glared daggers at them. 

"What are you guys saying about me?" she demanded, eyes narrowed, and when she subconsciously tightened her grip on her precious melon, Aden laughed even harder, everyone watching with amusement as he wheezed his quiet laugh, tears in his eyes. 

"As entertaining as this is, you better get your lines ready in about five" Raven said distractedly, and Lexa grinned as she leant forward to tug the fruit out of Anya's hands, snorting at the way her sister let it go reluctantly.  
God, it was a fucking melon, Anya. Although considering she hadn't had melon in five years..  
"Thank you, Raven. This is all very much appreciated" Lexa said in her serious voice as she scribbled on the melon with Aden's pen; her brother watched eagerly.  
"What are you-" Bellamy began confusedly, but was drowned out by Raven and Clarke laughing as Aden lost his shit, toppling off the log, wheezing and gasping loudly as Lexa held the melon proudly. 

Anya snatched the fruit back, and then scowled and flushed a bright pink when she saw the words 'Anya's baby: Don't Touch or you risk castration via potato peeler'  
"Fuck off, Lexa" Anya growled, setting the melon down. 

Clarke and Lexa both reached over to help a hysterical Aden, Lexa faltering slightly as she saw Clarke's gorgeous blue eyes twinkling as she grinned.  
"woah there, kiddo" Clarke laughed, and tugged Aden back up onto the log. Lexa moved back to her seat, and Clarke winked at her briefly before smiling at her now hiccuping brother.  
Luckily Raven had managed to get the pesky radio working (giving Lexa time to recover from Clarke actually WINKING),and there was a buzz of static before a woman's voice emitted from the speaker:  
"-arke? Bellamy?" 

"Yoooohoooo, Mama Griff!" Raven chirped loudly, and Clarke and Bellamy shared an amused look as she settled back beside Raven. "What's crackalackin dearie?"  
"Hello again, Raven" came the voice again, presumably Clarke's mother. "Are you all there?"  
Bellamy replied with a yes as Clarke said 'hi mom'  
"Hiya, Clarke, baby" her mother responded, and the blonde flushed as her friends and Aden laughed at her.  
"Is Kane there?" Clarke asked quickly.  
"Kane will be here soon, he's just handling a situation down in the armoury.." Ms Griffin said a little hesitantly. The Woods trio glanced at each other questioningly. 

"What's the situation?" Bellamy and Raven asked at the same time, but Ms Griffin dismissed them. "It's not for you to worry about. May I talk to Lexa?"  
At hearing her name, Lexa stiffened subconsciously, shifting subtly into Commander form.  
Clarke gave her a (totally not distracting) reassuring smile and beckoned her forward. 

Lexa shifted closer.  
"Hello, Ms Griffin" she said politely, and she couldn't help but relax slightly when she heard the other woman laugh.  
"Call me Abby, please. May I call you Lexa or.."  
"Lexa's fine" she confirmed, suppressing a smirk as Aden started poking Anya relentlessly, still giggling. She'd missed him so much.  
"Clarke and her people have told us much of Arkadia, it seems excellent."  
Abby replied before there was a shuffling on the other end, and a man's voice said "Hello Lexa, I'm Marcus Kane, I lead the Council on the Ark" 

"Hi, Kane" Lexa said, her nerves vanishing as her head finally cooperated. "It's a pleasure to speak to you"  
"The feeling is mutual. Before we talk any more I'd like to make one thing very clear" at this, Lexa noticed Clarke stiffen ever so slightly. Was she really afraid of her, Lexa thought sadly.  
"Go ahead" Kane said, and she could hear the apprehension in his voice. Christ, she knew they were an untrusting group but bringing back Aden was the golden ticket into their good books. 

"I'd like to express how grateful we are to you, Trikru is in your debt" Lexa stated firmly, smiling at Aden. "We really owe you one"  
"You do not owe us anything" Kane replied, and the Arkadians grinned at her like 'told ya so

They continued to talk for a while, until they reached the topic that was sensitive to the Woods siblings.  
"so what is this group that drove you away from your home?" Abby asked, and Lexa glanced at Anya, who grimaced slightly.  
"They call themselves Azgeda, the Ice Nation" Lexa said, the phrase like a bad taste in her mouth. "We...had a disagreement about how to handle a certain...situation. To put it simply-"  
"Their leader is Nia and she's a right bitch!" Anya cut in with a glare; everyone in the tent looked at her, surprised. "She organised a team of her people in the night to take all our supplies and-" 

"Enough, Anya" Lexa said loudly, and Anya glared again but leant back.  
"...they sound like assholes.." Clarke mumbled, and Kane hummed in agreement.  
"Where were you before you came here?" he asked.  
"We lived in the terrain just outside Mount Weather" Lexa started, and felt a twinge of sadness as she remembered their home. "We lived there for four years, and built a strong community. Trikru. Anyone could join us, and we became a family of a sort... .months ago, a large group was passing through and wanted to merge . It had been years since we'd actually come into contact with another group, and we agreed since they had good fighters. We never expected they'd betray us. In the events that followed, we lost many of our people." 

The Arkadians looked stunned, and sympathetic.  
Raven cut the silence, whistling. "Sounds like ya'll were thrown right into the depths of the shitstorm-"  
"Ray" Clarke muttered, sensing the solemn atmisp in the tent.  
"Up shit creek without a paddle?" Raven persisted, but relented when Kane cleared his throat pointedly. 

"I mean, i know there's no way you guys can trust us immediately after that, but maybe we could change your mind?" Clarke spoke up, head tilting adorably as she looked at Lexa. Fiery blue eyes bright with defiance and determination stared at her, and she felt her jaw unclench automatically under her calming gaze. 

She gave her the ghost of a smile. "Do your worst" She said, and Bellamy grinned at her.  
"Would you want to come and see Arkadia for yourself?" he asked, leaning forward eagerly, his dark hair flopping into his eyes. Lexa shoved down the urge to cut it off with the dagger in her boot.  
She nodded. "Eventually" 

"I was thinking of some sort of....weekend.. where you can spend some time with some of our people, and decide if they're trustworthy or not, and then maybe work up to you visiting the Ark?" Kane proposed tentatively. 

Anya nodded approvingly, and Lexa bit her lip, mulling it over. "Clarke, Bellamy and Raven have already won the trust of many of my people" she caught Anya looking away with a faint blush when Raven smirked at her and wiggled her eyebrows. "They have stayed a day and a half and it's...slightly disconcerting how quickly I myself have come to trust them" 

Kane sounded glad when he said: "So them staying hasn't been too much of a burden? If they were to stay again I'm sure they would be happy to help around, Clarke's handy for hunting"  
The blonde looked a bit uncomfortable at being called out, she looked grateful when Raven chipped in. "And our darling Raven can always make a mean pot of beans!" 

Aden wrote something as Kane continued to talk, Anya telling him about the different jobs Trikru did, and Raven grinned devilishly at the notebook. 

"Your people are welcome to stay again" Lexa said after Anya finished. "They will hold their own here, but the goal is of course to ..bond"  
"Excellent!" Kane almost cheered; Abby chuckling slightly in the background. Lexa wouldn't have been surprised if they were a couple from the way they had interacted. 

"We are still leaving today, right?" Bellamy checked, and Raven pouted. Lexa didn't let herself look at Clarke's reaction.  
"Yeah, we'll go in like twenty or so, yeah?" Clarke said, standing and stretching, her shirt lifting up-  
Lexa snapped her head away, hoping her cheeks weren't flaming like her insides were at seeing that flash of flat, slightly muscled stomach- 

"Awwww, we're literally like an hour away" Clarke said, yawning, and Lexa saw Aden looking sullen and withdrawing his book. "It's good to know you'll miss us, though, sunshine" 

"Sunshine?" Anya queried, and Clarke grinned, presumably about to explain when Raven and Bellamy brushed past her, Raven stopping and murmering something in the blonde's ear that made her flush violently and glance at Lexa for a second before looking away quickly. Huh? 

'its what she called me when I woke up for the first time since my leg' Aden had scribbled, and Anya studied the page for a moment before smiling faintly. 

Lexa smiled too, remembering how Aden had recounted that day to her last night before collapsing tiredly onto his sleeping bag in his tent. She could tell he practically worshipped Clarke, and she might've been jealous had she not understood. 

"You know, we call him Apollo sometimes, so that's fitting.." Anya started, but was taken aback when Aden flipped to a page in the notebook; there on the paper was a drawing of...Clarke? as a pirate, with the words-  
"Wrong page!" Clarke yelped, and Anya chuckled as Aden quickly shuffled the pages, looking up at her apologetically. 

Clarke looked embarrassed, but Lexa was too busy trying to force down the pang of excitement that this goddess was into women. No, stop it. She couldn't. 

Anya took pity on the flustered blonde and slapped her roughly on the back. "chill out, Griffin. there's many a gay in our camp, myself included"  
Clarke smiled tentatively at that, and Anya picked up Aden's book, that was now turned to presumably what he'd meant to show before. She was laughing at whatever was on the page. 

Something shifted in the atmosphere of the tent and Lexa found she needed to get out, needed to escape the weakness she felt around the Arkadian, the weakness that somehow made her feel stronger in such a confusing and terrifying way.  
Lexa stood suddenly, missing the flash of hurt on Clarke's face as she moved towards the tent flap. 

"if you'll excuse me, I should get to Titus. he wanted a word" she said coolly, her mask more reinforced as she shoved down her emotions and slipped out of the tent, ignoring her siblings's confused looks.

Spotting Bellamy and Raven with Lincoln in the distance, she sighed and scratched her neck, breathing in the chill of the morning air.  
The Commander of the Trikru set off across the camp towards Titus, nodding at her people who eagerly waved, some trying to start conversations, and she cursed herself at how she'd already failed her promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoyed my snackajacks, also I hope I've written raven and Anya's relationship so far okay....comments are writer fuel ;)
> 
> also Aden and Raven are so gonna pull pranks later on


	8. we're here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lincoln likes quokkas, and the three return home to the ark, where clarke may or may not doze off unintentionally, to ravens relief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a small update

"You got everything?" Anya asked, head turned away as she leaned against the armoured vehicle.  
The brunette grinned beside her a twinkle in her eye. "Everything we brought, at least"  
Anya turned and gazed at her impassively. 

"Stop flirting, Reyes" Bellamy called as he shoved their bags in the spare back seat.  
Raven only grinned wider when Anya's face coloured ever so slightly, her narrow eyes unreadable.   
"Wouldn't dream of it" Raven replied, and she attempted to raise an arm and lean casually on the side of the truck, mirroring the other girl's pose, but she slipped and somehow hit her head on the metal. 

Raven missed the flash of concern in Anya's stoic face while she rubbed her forehead, scowling, but she quickly recovered and let out a laugh.  
"They call her smooth for a reason" Bellamy snickered, his floppy hair poking over the top of the back of the truck, and Raven rolled her eyes. 

"That they do..." Anya murmered, before turning and wandering off into the camp, probably aware of how Raven's gaze remained fixed on the blonde's back. 

Bellamy had brought the car down and parked it just outside their camp, and Clarke was with Aden in Lexa's tent, just hanging around, probably saying their goodbyes for now 

It was nice to see Clarke so unusually carefree when she was with Aden, Raven could sense the sibling bond they had somehow managed to form over a couple of weeks, and she wasn't jealous at all. She was happy for her best friend.  
But she did seem a bit tense since last night, and the Commander did too. Huh.

"Can you go get Clarke?" she heard Bellamy ask, and she scowled.  
"Get her yourself"   
"But I'm in the car and you're not" was his argument.  
"And I'm a fucking cripple" Raven said dryly, batting her eyelashes. "Now hop to it"  
Bellamy slid out of the seat and walked off, grumbling something like "fucking used the cripple card.." under his breath. 

Raven smiled smugly to herself and clambered on to the back of the truck to wait.  
She saw Lincoln jogging over from the right side of the camp, and she yelled out to him as he approached, various heads turning as she spoke.   
"You know, you promised to show us the horses!" 

Lincoln smiled as he reached her, and hopped up onto the metal. "I will when you come back"  
"I don't think I'll be able to ride one, but damn they're cute as fuck"  
"Cute? They're not cute..."  
"Yes they are!" Raven argued, and Lincoln chuckled. 

"Ducklings are cute. Quokkas are cute, but horses.."  
"Excuse me, what the hell is a quacker?" Raven said, and Lincoln gaped at her.  
"Quokka. only my favourite animal in the whole wide world!" He cried. "They're like the universe's happiest animal! I had so many selfies with them when I went to Western Australia with my cousins, they were smiling in every one!" 

"Australia has some wierd ass animals.." Raven agreed. "But horses are cute in their own way."  
Lincoln shook his head, smiling.  
"Maybe I could fashion some sort of saddle with an attachment for my leg.." Raven mused.  
"Oh yeah, you build stuff, don't you?" He said earnestly, and she flashed him a smirk. 

"Best engineer in the Ark, baby. I tinker in my own time. you should meet my partner in crime Monty, we make some kickass weapons." 

"You gotta bring some next time!" Lincoln insisted, and they both turned to see Clarke, Aden and Bellamy emerge from the tent, Anya talking to Lexa a few paces away. Lexa looked...stiff, Anya somewhat exasperated. 

"You could check out my Chaos Corner when ya'll come over and everyone finally figures out that we're not threats to each other" Raven offered. "I'm sure O will be happy to give you a tour..."  
"O? Bellamy's sister, right?" He checked, and she grinned and nodded. "Right"  
"O short for Octavia" Bellamy supplied as he neared, and Lincoln hopped off the back of the truck. "Thats a cool name" 

"It is..." Bellamy said, looking at Raven weirdly as the brunette gave him a mischievous grin. "Anyways, we better be off.." 

Raven eased herself off the truck, carefully planting her brace and sighing. Clarke was a few steps away, joking with a pouty Aden. Cute kid.

Goodbyes were shared, all overly dramatic considering their respective camps were not that far apart, and they would be seeing each other soon.  
Lexa had seemed more stiff and formal than before, and Clarke couldn't help but feel it was her fault, or at least something triggered by them.  
Was it about her being bi? Surely it couldn't..  
The blonde felt a twinge of disappointment when Lexa only nodded at her and spoke coolly, and Clarke gave Aden one last hug before hopping into the backseat; Raven had claimed the front seat earlier, barrelling forwards with the same enthusiasm she saved for zombie fighting, screeching the word 'SHOTGUN!!!' as she insisted upon doing every time. 

Clarke had spotted Anya watching her with clearly fabricated annoyance, and that was almost enough to displace the uneasy feeling as the groups parted ways, Bellamy driving off up the foresty path. She glanced back to see the camp disappearing behind a curtain of green, a green that reminded her of something else.   
Someone. 

Someone else that she shouldn't think about, specially since they were apparently mad at her for some reason.  
Then again, Clarke thought grimly, she had made a dazzling impression as a leader by having a meltdown on the one night she stayed there. 

Raven's incessant smacking on her knees snapped her out of her gloomy thoughts, as the brunette asked her her opinion on who was the better singer between her and Bellamy.  
Both began belting out incomprehensible lyrics, Raven at least hitting the notes. She leaned back in her seat and smiled.

"Ray!"   
"Clarke!!"  
Clarke grinned at the sight of Octavia and Monty dashing forward from where they had been playing cards on the grass in the main pavilion.  
The sun had risen even higher and was battling for dominance with the chilly morning air. 

"What am I, a fuckin tree?" Bellamy complained, and Monty grinned after distangling from Clarke, reaching over and high fiving him.  
"O. I'm your brother!"  
Octavia just rolled her eyes, and the three girls continued their secret handshake that wasn't really secret as it was a common spectacle in the camp. 

Raven had made it up when the three of them were drunk in her shack, insisting that it would bond them for life and that yes, of course it would work with three people.  
Bellamy and Monty walked off to the armoury whilst the trio ran through the stupid moves they still hadn't dropped after a year. 

"How was it? Are they all really tough and badass? Ooh, was there any hotties?!" O exclaimed as they wandered over to the grassy expanse occupied by a few other Arkadians basking in the sun; they looked at them with interest, clearly their little adventure had been a source of discussion. 

"It was fuckin awesome, yes, and yes.." Raven answered, opting to flop heavily onto the grass on her front with a heavy sigh rather than sit cross-legged like the other two. "Lexa of the Trikru sure caught Clarke's attention"  
Octavia gasped in delight and gave Clarke a little shake. "Do tell!" 

"Nothing to tell" Clarke said stubbornly, reaching forward and ripping out blades of grass. "But Raven was struggling to keep her tongue from lolling on the ground at the sight of Lexa's sister"  
Octavia turned to Raven then, grinning excitedly. "WHAT??" 

Raven scowled at the blonde, who shrugged and pelted her with a clump of grass. 

"Clarke!" one of Abby's medical workers, Alex? jogged over to the three sprawled teens. "Abby and Kane want to see you"  
Clarke groaned childishly and lay back on the warm grass. "In a minute..."  
Alex grinned. "I'd say 'on your head be it, but you're the darling of the Council, so..."  
She walked off, leaving an incredulous Clarke. "Darling???" 

"You're all anyone talks about," O said, smirking as she arranged herself so she was leaning her head on Clarke's stomach, cringing slightly at the damp material; her shirt still hadn't dried completely from Raven's little antic that morning. "They've made you out to be some sort of powerful negotiator now, convincing the Trikru to join ranks with us peacefully to create one massive force" 

Clarke stared at her as Raven burst into laughter. "You what?"  
"Yeah" Octavia said, nodding, her brown hair covering her face. "Your intimidation factors have spiked considerably, now you've also got the power of uniting nations as well as being one of the- no, THE best fighter in Arkadia, and you're only a teenager" 

Raven giggled. "I bet you Jasper's hyping you up to all the naive people"  
Clarke just shut her eyes and shook her head slowly. "What even...I dont even wanna think.."  
"Cheer up, goldilocks" O said, moving Clarke's hand onto her head so it was brushing through her hair, and the blonde obliged, carding fingers through tangles of brown. 

Clarke just sighed. The warmth of the sun was nice, and the chill was receding.  
She began to hum quietly as Raven began telling Octavia firsthand about the Trikru. 

Though the blonde didn't sing around anyone anymore, she found she was comfortable with humming, and so the soft tune of 'trapdoor' by twenty one pilots filled the air. 

She felt content to lie there with the background bustling and conversations that provided enough of a barrier between her and the thoughts that demanded attention.  
Clarke felt her eyelids droop, and Octavia glanced up at the blonde when her stroking movements stilled. The brunette nudged Raven, and they smiled fondly.  
"m not sleeping, promise" Clarke mumbled, a soft breeze ruffling her golden hair.  
"course you're not" Raven agreed, as she shrugged off her red jacket and draped it round her. "your eyes are just off duty right now" 

Clarke nodded, brow creasing, but soon relaxing as her friends laughed quietly.   
She drifted off mercifully easily to sleep with their comforting presence, almost like the universe was making up for her stressful time and also giving her a moment's peace before she had to deal with the anniversary of her dad's death in a few days. 

But for now, she dozed quietly, unaware of Raven dealing with an exasper Abby, protesting that Clarke hadn't been sleeping well, and of how Octavia had gently picked her up and carried her to their nearest tent that happened to be Monty's.  
Raven limped out of the tent after helping Octavia settle the blonde under sheets.   
"I'm worried for Clarke" she started, and O snorted.   
"What else is new?" She asked, but sobered up when she saw the worry on Ray's face. 

The latina rubbed her face as the two leaned against the wall of where the Arkadians stored their food and produce.   
"I know Jake died two years ago in a few days..." O murmered, and Raven nodded.  
"I know she's leagues better than the last years, and it's probably unlikely she'll freak out as much as she did the first year, but I'm worried about the strain all this new stuff that's happening will put on her" Raven released heavily, and O took her hand comfortingly. 

"We're here for her" Octavia said firmly. "I know Clarke has far too much responsibility, bearing the world on her shoulders like she does isn't healthy"  
"But we're here for her" Raven repeated, biting her lip. "We're here"

"We're here"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im thinking of what song I should have Clarke sing when Lexa's around later on in the story, pls comment a song if you'd like - a soft, quiet one thats probably plenty sad because of course


	9. here comes the sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> O wants a butterfly tattoo, aden is slowly learning to become a badass like his sisters, and clarke has some super angsty times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its sad folks 
> 
> but there's bits of fluff so u can tolerate me pouring my emotions into this bc thats totally healthy

"-wouldn't quite describe it as endearing-"  
"Jen liked it!"  
"of course Jen liked your stupid ass hair, girl would fuck anything that moves-"  
"You're not touching my hair, Raven!" 

Clarke glanced up and felt the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of Bellamy nervously eyeing the glinting dagger in the brunette's hand; she began spinning it slowly with a devilish grin. Not as fast as Clarke could, where the blade twirled and danced though her fingers like a ribbon. 

"I know having floppy hair is kind of your thing, and losing your only personality trait is gonna be tough, but think how good-"  
"Personality trait???" Bellamy spluttered, and Clarke smiled as she dug her tool into the soil and flipped before crushing the dirt with the edge of the metal end.  
Usually Octavia would be moving along behind her, pulverising the dirt clods as Clarke flipped so they'd work more efficiently, but she'd gone to get water from the kitchen, where they could actually drink it chilled. 

Raven grinned at Bellamy, leaning back lazily on the bucket she was sat on. "Did i stutter, Floppy?"  
Clarke panted and wiped her forehead as the sun seared red marks into the back of her neck. She burned easily but it always turned to tanned skin very fast.  
Behind her Bellamy moved to retort but Raven dropped her knife as she attempted a tricky spin, cutting her pinky on the blade with a curse. The curse, of course, being 'sHIT BISCUIT' 

Bellamy burst out laughing and Clarke dropped the hoe with a sigh, stepping carefully over the rows of fresh soil that was drying quickly in the sun.  
"That was your fault" Ray grumbled to Bellamy.  
"Nope, I wasn't the one trying to look all cool like Griffin"  
At this, Clarke raised a brow with a smirk, Raven pouting as she lifted her hand to examine the cut. 

"At least I don't have an utterly drop-kickable face and hair that makes even the most swishy of curtains jealous" Raven retorted, wincing when Clarke started wrapping up her finger in strips of bandages she'd ripped with her teeth.  
The blonde was wearing her black cargo shorts that day, a few days since Lexa's camp, and they luckily had a small roll of bandage in a pocket. 

They continued to bicker until Clarke stopped them with a look; they shut up instantly.  
"Oh god, what'd Ray do now?" O called as she jogged round the soil expanse, nodding in greeting as she passed at the kindly woman tending to the green beans.  
"I swear, i leave for one minute-"  
"Reyes got a little over-excited with her knife..." Bellamy said, catching a water bottle and drinking eagerly.  
Raven scowled, but her face softened as Clarke patted her hand softly, conveying a meaning that wasn't expressed verbally but was clear all the same between the two. 

"Nice" Octavia said simply, then promptly moved forward to shove her brother off the crate and take his place beside Raven. He tumbled to the ground swearing, the water spilling onto his trousers; O and Raven laughed and Clarke smiled. 

It was the anniversary of Jake's death tommorow, so the usually cheery and bright blonde was quiet and subdued.  
It was progress though, even if the girl's enthusiasm to work harder than usual that day brought out the worry lines in Abby's face and had Raven subconsciously shadowing ever step she took, scanning for the slightest sign of discomfort and cracking more jokes to compensate. 

"Did Kane say when we're going back over to Daddy Deadpan's edgy-as-fuck base accompanied by our comrades?" Raven asked Clarke, who had taken off her overshirt, leaving her in a tank shirt that exposed her tanned arms, sweaty and adorned with her fair share of scars. None in the shape of bite marks, thankfully. 

Bellamy groaned from where he was now lying on the ground, and O stared curiously.  
"Will you please find some other stupid nickname?" He pleaded, and Raven smirked.  
"As long as it continues to piss you off ima stick with it" 

Clarke bit her lip and responded before Bellamy could start yet another squabble. "Yeah. We leave in three days, and this time Kane's coming along with some of the Council members, Lexa said on the radio earlier she was fine with more of us coming."  
Raven nodded thoughtfully. "Monty's dying to go, he wants to see the horses" 

Clarke stiffened slightly at the mention of the animals, but it went unnoticed as Octavia chimed in. "What, he's not at all curious about this rival group living out in the woods being led by a woman they literally call Commander??"  
"They don't really call her that" Bell explained. "It's like an inside joke or something. They just treat her as a leader, with respect" 

He was about to make a joke about the younger teens looking up to Clarke and practically worshipping the ground she stomped on with her combat boots, but felt it wasn't the time. He eyed her quiet form with sad eyes. 

"Anyway, I'm so going" O said, standing up. "I wanna spar with one of em, maybe"  
"As long as you don't fuckin start a war, you hothead" Raven deadpanned, and Octavia smiled fondly before flipping her off.  
"I honestly wouldn't put that past her" Clarke spoke up quietly, and Raven grinned widely. "shall we get back to work, O?" 

O followed, poking her tongue out at the other brunette as she did, and Raven went cross-eyed in retaliation and pulled her cheeks up.  
"Actual two year olds" Bellamy muttered, and Raven casually uncapped her bottle and tipped the rest of her water directly onto his face.

"I was thinking" O said behind her, panting from the strain of crushing tough dirt. "Could you do me another tat soon? I thought it'd be cool to have one more before we butt heads with Trikru"  
Clarke spat a strand of hair out of her sweaty face and stopped, noticing how Octavia was breathing hard. She wasn't as fit as Clarke. 

"What were you thinking of?" Clarke asked, leaning on her hoe as O leant her hands on her knees, almost wheezing. She seemed glad of the break, though, flashing a grateful smile."I cant do anything big, mind. Your skin would need to heal..." 

"Just a small one" she assured, and held out her forearm. There was already two tattoos on her right arm: a small snake coiled around her upper elbow she'd got secretly before the apocalypse, and a small flower that Clarke had stick-and-poked into her arm when they were both tipsy; she hadn't regretted her decision, though. 

"Whereabouts?" Clarke asked, and O tapped to the inner part of her wrist. "Ohh, that'll hurt like a bitch.." Clarke mumbled, and O grinned and winked.  
"I can take a little pain, Griffin"  
"I'm aware" Clarke huffed in amusement. "What do you want?" 

Octavia was distracted momentarily by a bunch of playful shrieks coming from over by the kitchens, children rolling in dirt as they pretended their sticks were knives plunging into the hearts of their enemies.

"Ok, so...this is gonna sound wierd.." Octavia started, and Clarke raised a brow in anticipation. "I'm intrigued"  
"Well, of course, Clarke, I'm an intriguing person. but I've been having this dream from time to time over the past few months..." 

Clarke stood upright, smiling with interest. "That's so cool.."  
"Yeah, anyway, I'm in a forest, and I have no idea why I'm there but I always walk forward. I'm not a lucid dreamer but I'm always more aware yknow?" Octavia gushed; clearly she'd been wanting to discuss her dream with someone for a long time.  
Clarke nodded, spurring her enthusiasm.  
"So I walk forward, and I'm in this sort of tiny clearing, and I wait for a few moments. Then this butterfly flutters down from nowhere and settles on the rock in front of me, and it's beautiful!" 

Clarke nodded along, feeling warm inside as opposed to the outside due to the heat at seeing the passion in her friend's eyes.  
"And I reach forward to pick it up, and eventually after a while it settles on my finger.." The girl re-enacted the scene, outstretched her slightly curled hand, staring at it with excitement. "And then it starts to glow, and all these other butterflies arrive and settle on my arms" 

"What colour do they glow?" Clarke asked immediately, the artist in her entranced by such a beautiful notion.  
"Blue. Like a cerulean...like your eyes, actually" O said, gesturing to Clarke's. "It's dark in the forest so they illuminate the trees and everything glows blue, it's fucking amazing" 

"It sounds it" Clarke agreed, and the blonde was disappointed when she felt a jarring flash of bitterness. Why couldn't she have dreams like that? What she'd give for delicate, neon butterflies in a wooden glade instead of scabbed, clawing hands, skeletal fingers grabbing and wrenching her family away, dragging her screaming father down to an early grave, endless sprays of blood painting her clothes as she drives her weapons into endless corpses but still fails to save her loved ones- 

"Hey, hey" She heard Octavia say softly, nudging her arm. "Where'd you go just now?"  
Like a sixth sense, Raven suddenly appeared beside them. Like a Batcall signalling her best friend's distress.  
"You good, Clarkey?" 

Clarke swallowed, suddenly finding her throat dry and lumpy. She nodded instead, not meeting Raven's gaze as she muttered out some excuse about needing the toilet and soon she was striding away, weaving in and out of rows of vegetables.  
Raven sighed and O bit her lip. "Did I set her off somehow?"  
"I doubt it, O. I could tell she was spacing out slightly before you even started talking.." Raven said, concerned eyes on the hastily retreating girl. "I'll talk to her later once she's had some time"

"Good, Aden!" Lexa panted, the exclamation almost a prideful snarl. "Again!"  
Aden grinned, encouraged, and lunged forward.  
Lexa parried his blows easily, sidestepping and knocking his back with the butt of her long, gleaming sword. Such a simple, mocking move would have made a far younger Aden pout and lose hope, but the blonde in front of her only hardened his resolve and attacked her with renewed vigour. 

Sounds of metal scraping and heavy pants were swallowed by dense boughs of leaves.  
Aden grunted with impatience as Lexa blocked a particularly clever move, and he feinted to the left, the ruse sloppy as he staggered on his recovering leg.  
Lexa easily saw through it, and didn't rise to the bait. Instead, she twirled and slammed the edge of her blade into the side of his shorter sword.  
The clang resonated within both their arms, and Aden dropped his, yelping. 

"You're lucky my cheerleading banner says GO WOODS, cuz then technically you've both won" came Anya's cool voice, and Aden turned and glared at her. "Actually, I win too.."  
Lexa snorted and handed Aden back his sword, only for the blonde to gaze at her pleadingly, tilting his head back to where Lincoln was preparing various bits of food amongst other hungry Trikru. 

"Fine" Lexa relented. "But you'll work ten minutes longer tomorrow"  
Aden nodded, relieved, and grabbed his crutches that Anya had gotten for him with a smile. 

Lexa was easily the most skilled swordsman of her people, a factor that contributed to her position helpfully.  
She didn't know why she favoured melee, swords and knives had always seemed so reliable and simpler than a heavy metal gun that needed a separate holster for bullets and all that, and not to mention how damn loud they were. 

Swords were much, much better.  
She'd argued with Lincoln over that many nights ago, he insisting guns were superior, and it ended with a wrestle in the dirt that she of course won easily, getting her friend in a headlock and forcing him to yield. 

Anya preferred brute force rather than the sort of dangerous dance that Lexa found herself pulled into whenever a fight occurred, and she always carried her axe and at least two knives, as well as a pistol that tucked easily into a slot by her hip. 

It depended on whatever they were dealing with, but Lexa herself usually carried her two swords (she was incredibly proud of them and took good care, sharpening them every week and even tending to their leather hilts when they grew worn) strapped securely onto her back, three knives tucked into various places and even a small set of sleek black knuckledusters she kept in a small pocket, just in case. 

Gustus had made her a sleek longbow for her her sixteenth birthday, and it had taken her a surprisingly short amount of time to learn to master it, and she relished in the speed she could now bring down game and corpses alike.  
All of Trikru were fighters in some way, the actual warriors for the camp trained relentlessly most days, and Lexa and Anya made sure Aden was up to scratch with all areas. 

Lexa watched as her brother tackled Lincoln to the ground; mud flecks sprayed from where the two rolled around in the dirt like brothers in a wolf pack. His leg was healing well, then. 

She heard a whistle, turning just in time to snatch an apple out of the air. Anya grinned at her, biting into her own. "Shall we, Commander?"  
Lexa shoved her roughly, Anya snickering as they walked over to the food, clearly the centre of attention in the camp as Trikru scarfed down food. 

Various people nodded to her respectfully as she took a bread roll and some meat, and she inclined her head.  
"Aden wants to go down to the river at noon" Lincoln said as she passed. She turned and saw Aden smiling hopefully, book back in its home under his arm. "He's all sweaty, and you could probably do with a rinse too"  
"Yeah, not even your extensive candle collection could make our tent smell nice with your stench" Anya added, grabbing a fistful of berries. 

Lexa smirked as she tripped her sister up, catching her plate of food and adding the berries to her own. "Is that so?"  
"Ass"  
"So...we goin?" Lincoln asked, and Lexa nodded.  
"Sure. Let me put my stuff away first" 

"Poor Lexa...being parted from her array of weapons for more than a minute.." Lincoln muttered to Aden. "how devastating.."  
"I can hear you!" She called as she walked off, Anya following close behind. Lexa glanced back briefly to see the dirty-blonde mouthing something, so she stopped in her place; Anya smacked into her back with a scowl. 

"You dare insult Heda?" Lexa snarled, eyes twinkling.  
"Oh, you're bringing that back, are you?" Anya huffed, jogging to match her pace, crunching across worn ground. "thought you'd forgotten about Trig..."  
"How could I?"  
Trigedasleng was the language her and Anya had made up when they were younger, and they'd taught Aden a few stray bits here and then. 

"How much do you remember?" Anya asked as Lexa moved aside their tent partition.  
"Some." Her bed was made as neat as it could be in an apocalypse, a folded pile of clothes atop the furs, and even more clothes in the corner of the tent beside Anya's bed, which was naturally as messy as the blonde herself. 

"Remember how dad made us include his favourite saying..." Anya said dryly behind her as Lexa unclipped her swords.  
"Which one? He had so many delightful phrases.." Lexa drawled. "jus drein jus daun?"  
"I was thinking of stedaunon don gon we; kikon ste enti, actually"  
"Ah.." Lexa snorted. "Fuckin classic.." 

The Commander tugged off her shirt and opted for her black tank, and slid on her swim shorts to wear underneath her cargo pants.  
There were grunts and sounds of shuffling as Anya hopped around behind her, tugging up her jeans.  
"we can't forget Hodnes laik kwelnes, either"  
"True...."

Stars glinted dimly through the faint wisps of clouds.  
According to the battered clock that lay on her lap, it was midnight in ten minutes. 

Ten minutes until the day her father died. 

Clarke breathed out. She knew she was being selfish, hiding outside the camp's borders and probably worrying the shit out of Abby, but she couldn't stand the all-too-familiar pain in her mother's eyes, the sympathy written in people's faces. 

Jake's death had been a particularly devastating one to the Arkadians.  
Yes, it was an apocalypse, people die, but Jake had been one of the few souls that kept the place alive in its flourishing days.  
He'd been the one to start dancing randomly out of nowhere, strumming with his guitar and winking evilly at a mortified Clarke slumped over on a table with a grinning Raven. 

"Don't encourage him, Ray.." Clarke had groaned as Raven clapped along to the beat, letting out a loud whoop as Jake twirled Abby in his arms. 

Jake had been the one keeping the Council together; Jaha was stubborn and adamant in his sacrificing ways, whilst Kane and the others were too blinded by their opinions to negotiate, and after her father had passed Clarke took up the mantle.  
Months after, of course. When she finally emerged from her room, tears dried on her pale, sunken face and all semblance of childlike innocent melted away to reveal hardened confidence and responsibility.  
Leadership. 

Five minutes.

Burnt Toast winked down at Clarke, and she stared up at the beautiful sky, numb to the very bones.  
What would he think if he saw her now?  
Saw his daughter, rain-sodden and faintly trembling, slumped against the back of a storage den and reminiscing like the angsty teen she was. 

Four minutes. 

Would he be proud of what she had become? Of how she strove everyday to fill his shoes, to be a sunny presence in the camp.  
She succeeded most of the time. Then there were the moments when the sun eclipsed, and she was left a husk of the bright being, with her friends picking up the pieces. 

Three minutes. 

Was there an afterlife, Clarke mused. She could hear a loud cheer from where some people were talking and laughing behind the metal gate, and she felt a sting of anger. Was there anything after this life?  
Was the pain really worth it in the end? 

Christ this was getting existential. 

Two minutes. 

The blonde set aside the clock and counted down the seconds, eyes dry.  
She remembered the supply trip they'd been on that day. 

It was just the two of them, and Jaha had sent them to search for petrol in this huge, abandoned garage. It was a hopeful mission, as one of their guys back at camp had known the owner, had known how he'd locked the place up after he took off, had known where the spare key was. 

And so they'd hefted the sloshing tanks onto a wagon they'd found, Jake dragging it behind them as they walked down the passage that led them to the outside.  
They'd been joking. They did that a lot. 

One minute. 

It had seemed like one minute back then, one minute's difference: Jake Griffin's wide smile that had never failed to light up a room, then Jake Griffin, screaming in agony as the infected clamped down with a sickening squelch, its poison seeping into his veins. 

She'd dragged him into the car, drove him all the way home, ignoring his pleas, his choked gasps of her to leave him, to turn and never look back.  
Abby had approached the car, smiling, a new jacket she'd thought Clarke would like in her hand.  
Clarke would never forget the absolute horror on her face.

The clock ticked to midnight. 

Burnt Toast blinked down at her, unimpressed.  
Why are you sat all the way out here on your own, it seemed to say. There are your friends and your family, all waiting to love you and protect you. And you're clinging to the past like a koala. 

Clarke didn't bother getting angry at the constellation in her subconscious. Would probably be futile and a waste of energy to argue with the cosmos. 

She stayed another hour, the cold biting her skin as gusts of wind tugged her clothes, urging her to her feet.  
Clarke staggered back home, swinging a leg up over the stack of boxes she'd placed earlier and leaping onto a storage box before vaulting over Arkadia's gate. 

She was pulled into her mother's arms in the next five minutes, once again numb to her worried exclamations and hands checking her for injuries. For bites.  
Raven said nothing, for once. Just tucked a blanket round her shoulders and steered her to their shack, muttering apologies to their freinds. 

Abby let them go, instead falling apart in Kane's arms in the medbay as soon as she'd dropped a syringe. The glass smashed and he had tugged her close. 

Raven, likewise, held Clarke close on top of her bed, wrapped up in strong, warm arms that soothed, blonde curls gently tugged through and stroked.  
Clarke didn't cry until hours later, when Raven told her it was going to be okay. 

Octavia came in at some point, and sat on Clarke's bed with a book. She handed her a bottle of water and a cereal bar, and sat back as Raven coaxed her to drink.  
Clarke felt more awake now, numbness slipping away as her tears dried, and she accepted the water with a hoarse "thanks". 

Octavia read, Raven rambled about random things, going off on her tangents, and Clarke just sat and existed.  
Then Raven started talking about a conversation she'd had with Murphy the other day, about whether the 1975 were on the same level as Arctic Monkeys and various other bands they liked. 

"And I said to him, Declan McKenna doesn't really count because he's only released music like-"  
"Hold up, Declan McKenna?" O scoffed quietly, closing her book with creased brows. "He had like two good songs, tops.."  
"He had way more than that!" Raven said hotly, and Clarke reached up to squeeze the hand carding through her hair gently, telling her to calm.  
"Zeros was an absolute masterpiece-" 

"Nah, too mainstream" Octavia shrugged.  
"Mainstream??"  
"Yeah, mainstream"  
Raven shook her head to herself, and O grinned at Clarke. "Uh oh.."  
"So Zeros is too mainstream for you but The Beatles isn't??" Raven exclaimed, and O flushed. "Who was it singing 'here comes the sun' like two days ago whilst hanging up washing? I'll tell you who, our resident bad girl, Octavia fuckin Blake!" 

Octavia pouted. "It's a good song.."  
"It's meh" Raven mused, turning Clarke's head so she could reach and braid another section. Her engineer's fingers worked deftly. "It would sound better if it came from good vocal chords"  
The latina grinned at Octavia's scowl. "And a sense of tune. And rhythm-" 

Their bickering was interrupted when Clarke shifted, raising puffy eyes to peer at her freinds.  
Raven rubbed her arm, sensing Clarke wanted to say something, and the blonde looked at her gratefully as she soothed.  
"I, just...that was one of Jake's favourite songs" Clarke said quietly, suppressing the urge to wince as her voice cracked on his name. "He sang it when we painted together. He loved painting the sun. H-he said-" 

Raven rubbed her back as she choked, and O leaned forward to lace their fingers together.  
Encouraged, Clarke let out a long breath. This was fucking painful, but she needed this.  
"He always said I was like the sun, like I radiated light.." She choked out a laugh, and her friend's hearts clenched. "I guess I'm not so sunny anymore.."  
"Are you kidding, Griff?" Octavia said. "You're more cheerier than even Monty most days, and you literally keep our gang together." 

"Yeah, like glue." Raven added. "PVA. Extra-sticky"  
O shot her a glare, but Clarke chuckled.  
She talked a bit more about Jake, how the ocean had been special to them too as well as space, before tiring, leaning back into Raven's arms as their conversation lapsed into quiet.  
The silence was comfortable, Clarke more content once she had said her piece, finally. 

Octavia had picked up her book again, and Raven was admiring her work of art on Clarke's golden hair, when it happened. 

"Here comes the sun..." 

Raven stiffened in shock, hand stilling. 

"Here comes the sun...and I say..its all right..." 

Octavia stared down at her book, not wanting to spook her friend by staring openly at the source of the utterly angelic sound that was filling the space.

"Little darling..." Clarke continued to sing softly, her voice scratchy and wavery but no less beautiful. "It's been a long cold lonely winter.." 

Raven was still in shock, O struggling to keep her jaw from hanging open. Clarke hadn't sung in front of anyone but Ray since Jake, and when she had it had been jokingly and sparingly, but this was different. 

She sang like she meant it, like the words could wrap her up in a warm embrace and carry her to the stars, like the lyrics could seep into reality and provide warmth and solace. 

"I feel that ice is slowly melting...."

Clarke sang like she was letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trig translations-  
> -Blood must have blood!: Jus drein jus daun.
> 
> -The dead are gone; the living are hungry: Stedaunon don gon we; kikon ste enti
> 
> -Love is weakness: Hodnes laik kwelnes.
> 
> hope u enjoyed


	10. sleeping beauty indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> raven is snuggly and the trikru fight some zaaambies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter than usual cuz I'm writing another fic that I thinkll be rly cool, may or may not include vampire lexa and half-angel Clarke....

"This looks fucking sick, Clarke!" 

Octavia admired the delicate butterfly on her wrist, turning it this way and that so the different shades of blue ink gleamed on her skin. "It's beautiful.."  
"You like it?" Clarke asked, grinning.  
"I love it, you idiot. Cmere!" 

The taller girl yanked her in for a hug, keeping her left arm outstretched, the drying tattoo safely out of reach.  
"It's just like in my dream" she said happily. 

"Trikru are gonna be quaking in their boots, Blake. Big scary warrior girl, but oh saints above! She's got a butterfly!" Murphy's sneer carried over to them from where he was picking apart a fish he'd helped Bellamy catch earlier. The stench of fish guts made them wrinkle their noses. 

"At least O has tattoos to brag about" Clarke said dryly, eyebrow lifting. "You're too much of a pussy to come anywhere near a needle"  
"And what the fuck is wrong with butterflies?" O demanded with a scowl. 

Murphy just rolled his eyes and continued in what looked like a treasure hunt for gold in a salmon's corpse. "Assholes" 

O opened her mouth to retort but Clarke placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, O, Murph here's just anxious about seeing his girlfriend tommorow.."  
Murphy gave her a glare so intense she was sure the ground was going to open and swallow her up as Octavia squealed excitedly. "Oh my god, yeah! Emily or Edam or something..!" 

"Emori!" he snapped, but turned away when he realised he'd risen to the bait with his hasty correction.  
"She seemed pretty excited at the mention of her beloved John" Clarke continued, smiling cheekily. "Wouldn't shut up about you"  
The two girls smirked at Murphy's fake scowl that failed to hide the pleased glimmer in his eyes, and they sniggered as he stomped away through the double doors leading into the massive kitchen. 

"Bless him" O giggled. "Wouldn't know what a positive emotion was if it came up to him stark naked and started twerking on his lap-"  
"I beg your pardon?" Bellamy asked as he joined them at the long table, moving the box of tattoo supplies up on to the table so he could sit beside them.  
"How was fishing?" Clarke asked, cringing at the smell on his clothes.

"It was fine, i caught two more cod than last time.." Bellamy said excitedly. "And we didn't use nearly as much bait as we thought we'd need"  
"Fascinating" Octavia said from the other side of Clarke; she was stuck between them, a Blake sandwich. "Do tell us more, brother dear" 

Bellamy flicked the back of her head, the dark-haired girl catching his hand and twisting it; Clarke leaned forward with an exasperated sigh as the two instantly started wrestling, starting with the younger Blake yanking the older to the floor and ending with them rolling around in a scuffle, barks of laughter interspersed with growls sounding behind her. 

She left them to wander out into the main section of the Ark, smiling at the warm breeze ruffling her hair before heading off to the CC.  
Clarke shoved her hands in her pockets as she entered, already frowning slightly at the quiet around the shack as she'd approached. 

"Ray?" 

The downturn to her lips instantly melted into a smile when she heard the familiar rumbling, and she made her way past cluttered desks, pausing momentarily to nudge a huge chainsaw so its nasty edge wasn't hanging off the end of the desk. 

"Sleeping beauty indeed" Clarke muttered, staring down at the snoring latina; her mouth was hanging open and she was drooling onto her arm where it lay pillowed beneath her head on the bench.  
Her other hand loosely clutched a pen, and there was a notepad on the floor containing her usual unintelligible scribbles and diagrams. 

She'd been working harder that week, just like Clarke. Throwing themselves into the throngs of mindless exhaustion-inducing and ever so relieving duties. 

Clarke knelt and shifted her slightly, tilting Raven's head so her neck wasn't at a painful angle. She was just replacing her arm with a bundle of cloth she'd found lying around, tucking it under her hair before removing the pen from her grip when she heard the flap rustle all the way over at the entrance. 

"Hey, Ray, they didn't have-"  
Monty stopped when Clarke shushed him, gesturing to the rumbling monster that was now sleepily cuddling up into her arm that had been in the process of removing her jacket (it was hot in the tent).  
Monty's mouth formed an 'o', and he chuckled when he moved closer and noticed Clarke's state of imprisonment. 

"You should carry her back to yours" Monty whispered, setting down the bunch of cans of drink he'd somehow managed to procure from the tight ass storage people. "She's absolutely knackered, she won't wake up"  
Clarke hummed, and leaned forward to scoop the girl up. 

She was heavy, but Clarke was strong. Stronger even than the girl she was carrying, who spent her days hammering away in the workshop. After all, the blonde didn't go a day without a good several hours of training, Octavia her best opponent (though Bellamy insisted he was the better fighter, the Delinquents didn't have the heart to argue). 

And so she was whispering goodbye to a snickering Monty as she made away with her incredibly snuggly mechanic curled up in her arms. 

Jasper was walking by with Murphy and they both stopped to stare.  
"Did you drug her? Are we witnessing a kidnapping?" Jasper asked, and Clarke glared at him so hard he literally took a step back, Murphy rolling his eyes.  
"Wake her up and I'll cut up your spleen and force feed it to you" she growled before stomping off, though it was gentle stomping, careful not to jostle the dozing brunette. 

Jasper stared after her. "A truly terrifying woman"

Lexa shot up at the blasting sound echoing from the other end of the camp. 

Anya beside her jerked up and cursed, struggling to escape her duvet like a trapped kitten. Lexa would've made fun of her if it weren't for the meaning of the three short blasts: corpses. 

Lexa rolled gracefully off the bed, allowing only a few seconds of blinking sleep out of her eyes before she was snatching up her swords and clipping her weapon-adorned belt on with practised ease.  
Anya was right behind her as she shoved aside the partition , and the two sprinted past rows of tents and bleary Trikru towards the commotion. 

"Lexa! Anya!"   
Indra strode towards them, eyes blazing with the familiar adrenalin of fighting. "A small group is out on the Western perimeter, Gustus sent Tom back to alert us, there's roughly fifteen or so-"  
Lexa was already running at that point, and together the three of them sprinted through the terrain. 

Some of the camp's fighters joined them as they ran, and she could see Lincoln up ahead, loading a pistol as he jogged to meet them. 

It took another ten minutes of running through undergrowth but they eventually emerged to see Gustus and Quint holding off staggering corpses that groaned and shuffled. Good, not the fast ones then, or the 'Runners' as the Arkadians would say. 

Lexa unsheathed her swords and stabbed the nearest one through the stomach, hooking it and tugging it away from Gustus, who was bashing one's head with a heavy, jagged piece of metal.  
"Anya!" she heard someone call, and she stabbed her victim through the head before turning to see her sister jump away from a corpse that had crawled over to her, throat gurgling. The blonde whipped out a dagger and stabbed its neck. 

They didn't fight for long, considering there wasn't that many, and they were only Walkers, so Lexa was only breathing slightly hard when she finished off the last corpse, slicing its head off with a clean swipe, stepping back agilely to avoid the spurt of thick brown blood. 

"Fuck" someone breathed behind her, and Lexa spun around with panic, seeing Emori stagger towards them from the trees.  
"Emori??" Anya said incredulously. "What were you-"  
"I took over from Shay for scouting-" Emori grunted, Anya grabbing her waist to steady her. She looked weak and pale, and Lexa felt her heart drop. 

"-didn't want anyone to think her weak, so I took her shift-"  
"Are you bitten?" Lexa managed to choke out, stepping forward and scanning her body. "Did they get you?"  
"No, no, I'm fine" Emori said, and Lexa felt weak at the knees at the sudden rush of relief. "Sorry, god, I get weak when I run for ages, low blood sugar and that, but I really needed to get back-" 

Lexa glanced round at the warriors shifting uncertainly, eyes curiously probing the teen, and she turned to Lincoln.   
"Lincoln, Indra, take care of the corpses. Quint, Gustus, you may take a day to rest"  
The men glanced up at her and nodded, Gustus giving her a grateful smile, and Lincoln and Indra moved off instantly. "The rest of you, you fought well. Return to camp now" 

The others shuffled off, and Lexa moved closer to where Anya was now handing Emori a small flask of water she'd clipped to her belt before they'd left.   
"What did you see out there?" Lexa asked quietly, and the girl glanced up, her face tattoo gleaming in the dark as well as her dark hair. 

"I didn't believe my eyes at first, I've never seen- i couldn't even-" Emori struggled to speak, before meeting Lexa's stare. Her eyes reflected in the dim light of the torches on the perimeter. 

"...I saw a horde"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun duuuuuun


	11. lesbian catnip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh dear there's a horde.   
> also kane is a literal fanboy for the trikru change my mind
> 
> also also #memori
> 
> also also also LEXA'S FUCKING HOT AF WHEN SHE FIGHTS AND WHO WANTS HER TO SPAR WITH CLARKE CUZ I SURE DO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its kinda short but I'm literally #goingthroughit rn so   
> why am I hashtagging I'm so sorry my babes

Clarke's leg wouldn't stop bouncing in the seat, hands coming up to either card through her hair or tap on her knees as she looked out the window at the trees that gradually grew closer together, branches winding and interlocking so harsh daylight had to fight its way in. 

Raven and Octavia were chatting away beside her, and Abby was talking quietly to Kane in the front about their provisions for the coming colder months. 

She was nervous.  
Clarke didn't understand why she was so worried about such a simple thing, and she wouldn't even allow her mind to wander to the possibility of apprehension linking to green eyes and a certain smirk. 

"Dude." Raven said, sensing the anxiety and dragging her out of her thoughts by the scruff of her neck. "Chill."  
Clarke smiled at her as her friend placed her hand on her fidgeting leg, and she stopped.   
"What are my chances of survival if we trap you and Lexa naked in a tent together and don't let you out until we hear moaning?" Octavia asked abruptly, and Clarke whipped her head around with a glare as Raven burst out laughing and prevented the blonde from reaching over and hitting the other girl. 

"O!" She hissed, glancing forward, ever so glad Abby was engrossed in conversation.  
She was disappointed when she looked up at the sky through the roof hatch to find no lightning on its way to strike Octavia down for her. Cmon, Zeus. "You twat, shut up-" 

"I'd say low, Blake, she's frothing at the mouth-" Raven whispered. 

"Both of you, can it!" Clarke warned. "Or I'll tell Anya about the time Raven got stung by a jellyfish at the beach and you, Octavia, were ever so kind to help-" 

Raven flicked her arm as O glared at her, and she sat back in her seat smugly.  
"Turn just here, Mama Griff" Raven supplied, and Abby smiled at her through the rear view mirror, the truck shuddering as it rumbled onto rougher terrain. 

It was stormy weather, with that sort of electric tingle on the air that spoke of coming thunder. Perhaps Clarke would get her wish of lightning after all. 

Murphy sat in the back with Monty, as both boys got carsick (though they'd never admit it) and felt better with the rushing air, and another car followed behind them, Bellamy behind the wheel.   
Clarke had remembered his clenched fists on the wheel as she'd passed on her way to their truck, either nerves at the two groups meeting showing itself or irritation at Jasper's constant chattering in the shotgun seat. 

There was a man and a woman this time, beside two burning posts wedged deeply into the soft soil, the flames illuminating their stern faces. The woman seemed kinder, though, and her face softened when they pulled their cars up just within the border.  
"Shit" Octavia huffed when their car doors slammed behind them and they approached the two solitary statues bearing guns. "You weren't kidding bout their trust issues-" 

Bellamy had caught up to them and he elbowed her, Clarke rolling her eyes before moving forward to where her mother and Kane were awkwardly introducing themselves.  
Clarke suppressed a smirk when Kane offered his hand to the man, only for him to gaze back it him impassively. 

"Sorry about him" The woman said, stepping forward and smiling tightly, just a tilt of her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes. Kane's hand dropped, and Clarke noticed the two Trikru kept their hands hovering over their guns.  
They must be really uptight about this whole thing. 

The woman had a scar on her cheek, and looked relieved when Clarke spoke up, subtly shoving Jasper back from where he was eyeing her up. "How's The Commander faring? And her loyal subjects?" 

The woman looked amused, and Clarke smirked at the utter horror on her friend's faces. "She is well. Though admittedly, this may not be the best time for a...party. What a fortunate stroke of serendipity".   
Her eyes trailed over the Arkadians with an unreadable expression before she tilted her head in a 'follow me' gesture, and stalked off down the undergrowth. 

Clarke smiled encouragingly at her group, though the concern she felt at her ominous words matched the furrow of Raven and Bellamy's expressions, and Kane and Abby began to talk quietly like they did a lot of the time, as if worried their words would be snatched away by the wind if talked too loudly. 

Sometimes she wondered if something was there, in the lingering gazes and the softening of expressions, and Clarke would force down every thought as soon as it sprung up, threatening to dredge up memories of what had passed but still carried that bitter sting. 

The Arkadian shook herself to rid the thoughts and fell into step beside Octavia; she could sense the slight anxiety in her, only sensed by those she let herself be vulnerable around.  
Raven had noticed too, and was providing a running commentary of the woodland around them to rival Jasper's behind them; the Duo were the hyperactive children of the group and Clarke dearly regretted having them together. 

"-is, in my opinion, the owl" Raven's words drifted over to her amongst the sounds of boots crunching over leaves and twigs snapping, birds twittering greetings in the hulking, leafy trees that had long since reclaimed the world. "I mean, they're badass, they can turn their heads all the way round, talk about a party trick-"  
"What about flying squirrels?" Jasper cut in, stumbling forward over a branch( Monty rolled his eyes and steadied him). "They have like, furry flaps, they can fly through the air!" 

"If we're talking badass animals, I think the Portuguese man-of-war takes this one" Monty supplied, and Clarke didn't miss the bemused look the woman silently leading them sent their way. "They've terrified me ever since that one movie, the watertank breaks and it comes smashing out of the glass and right onto this woman's face-"  
He mimed the scene, grabbing Jasper's face and shrieking comically, and they all laughed. 

Kane and Abby looked back at them with exasperation, her mother pointedly sending her a look like 'be serious'. Clarke just shrugged. She reckoned they were allowed these brief times of freedom to be what they were: young. 

"We're talking badass animals in the woods" Raven corrected. "Like foxes and wolves and panthers-"  
"Remember that time we went camping and Bellamy tried to track a bear?" Clarke shoved the taller boy playfully, and he sent her a withering look as Monty and Jasper immediately starting pelting him with questions. 

"Anyway, i think the badger is pretty cool" Raven said, and Octavia snorted. The latina raised her eyebrows in challenge. "Oh, yeah, like you can judge!" She pointed to Octavia's tattoo, exposed proudly on her tanned forearm.   
"Butterflies are fucking awesome!"  
"You're gonna get along great with Lincoln" Raven muttered, shooting Clarke a conspiratorial grin. "Fuckin quackas..." 

"Quokkas?" O asked eagerly, and Raven cast her eyes to the heavens.  
"Lord, I do believe you have given me a chance to be a divine matchmaker.."  
"Shut up" Bellamy hushed over his shoulder as they came to a pause, the Trikru now in conversation with some others nearer the camp. 

Clarke pushed through and saw Anya, face tight and jaw clenched, leaning against the trunk of a tall pine tree in what seemed to be a futile attempt at nonchalance.  
Her slanted eyes moved from the group of people in front of her (Clarke recognised the towering figure of Gustus and...Titan? What was his name?) to rest on their approaching group, and her gaze landed on Clarke. She was surprised to see a hint of relief in the fellow blonde's expression as she shoved past the Trikru to meet them. 

"Is that Raven's girl?" Octavia whispered behind her, and no amount of elbowing from Bellamy would make her shut up, laughing quietly at Raven's affirmation. "She looks like she wants to flatten us all with a zamboni-"  
"Trust me, this is her nice face-" 

"Clarke." Anya said simply, striding forwards. "Kane and Abby, right?"  
Clarke nodded in greeting, knowing of the Woods siblings's understandable aversion to intimacy, and Kane had caught on from the awkwardness of earlier, as he followed her lead with a polite tip of his head.  
"Yeah, Anya, I presume?" 

Anya nodded stonily, eyes studying the group with an unreadable tension, murky eyes lingering on Raven briefly before flicking away. "Echo and Tormund" she said, gesturing with her head to the two that had led them; Echo raised a hand lazily and Tormund remained silent, a hard look in his eyes. This was fun. 

"What did Echo mean about how this was lucky? Us being here?" Clarke jumped in straight away, ignoring her mother's protesting looks.  
Anya sighed and glanced around. 

They all seemed to be on edge more than usual, something Clarke had originally chalked up to just the general untrusting nature of the group and meeting a gang of armed strangers from another camp, but it seemed to be something more; each Trikru milling round the entrance to the sunny glade never kept their eyes in one place, their gazes darting around nervously like minnows in a pond. 

Clarke hadn't realised she'd zoned out until Bellamy nudged her ankle with his foot; she snapped to attention, mentally cursing herself.   
"-concerned with, she'd probably like to explain it herself. She'll be done with training soon" Anya was saying, and suddenly she was moving off, stepping round logs and ducking under branches in a familiar way. 

Kane and Abby looked confused but Clarke just smiled encouragingly at them before following, smile widening unconsciously at the sight of the impressive collection of tents; in the short amount of time they'd been away the magnitude of the camp had grown. 

O whistled with awe behind them as they trundled across the grassy clearing, and Clarke noticed several Trikru staring, clearly unsure how to feel at the sight of so many strangers in a well-organised group like theirs marching into their territory. 

There was a scatter of laughter behind her, and Clarke glanced back to see Jasper attempting to jump on Bellamy's back; the taller teenager was scowling but there was mirth glimmering in his eyes. "Gerroff, Jas!" 

A nearby woman was staring at them incredulously, probably wondering how kids so goofy and carefree could manage in an apocalypse, but she didn't know of the weapons hidden under their clothes and the reflexes and skills they had all had to build over time to last a second in this world. Didn't know just how fucking lethal this group of kids were. 

It was probably unnerving though, Clarke thought, watching Jasper let out a loud noise of triumph as he managed to scramble up onto Bell's shoulders, almost kicking Murphy in the face as he went. Such a display of youthlike merriment in what was essentially a military camp. Enough to make any soldier twitch.

They walked through the camp, aware of the Trikru stopping and staring much like they had when they'd come a week ago, some eyes hard and untrusting, some open and curious.  
Kane muttered greetings and smiled, and Clarke stifled a grin at his attempts to make friendly with people staring at him like they'd want nothing better than to yeet him into a volcano. 

Things were definitely more tense, Clarke thought, spotting Lincoln in hushed conversation with a middle-aged woman on one of the many clusters of logs dotted around the vast expanse of tents.  
They looked tense, but Lincoln instantly brightened when he glanced up and saw them, muttering something to the lady and jogging up. 

"Hey, guys"   
"Lincoln, this is Kane, and my mother" Clarke said, gesturing to where they slowed to a stop beside her; Abby smiled warmly and Kane offered his hand hopefully, looking satisfied when Lincoln accepted. 

"I'm Lincoln, nice to meet you!" The teen had mustered some of his usual puppylike cheeriness that contrasted with his tattooed, rugged appearance. "Sorry Lexa didn't come meet you, she's a bit...well, worried-"  
"Yeah, what's going on?" Bellamy beat her to the question, having shaken off the hyperactive boy with goggles. 

"It does look a bit tense up in here" Clarke pointed out, glancing at how Abby had moved off to talk to the woman on the log, who was wincing slightly, rubbing her head. Her mother practically being summoned by the need to heal. 

Kane trailed behind her, somehow managing to strike up a conversation with a Trikru man stretching some sort of animal pelt between two stone slabs. 

"Tense? Blondie, the atmosphere in this bitch-" Raven scoffed, slinging an arm over her shoulder; Clarke rolled her eyes. "It's like everyone in this camp missed the ice cream van. Like they all heard the little twinkly tune and went running outside all excited only for it to drive away and leave them in the dust, sobbing, hungry and alone and unsatisfied down to their very soul-"  
"Sounds like you speak from experience" Monty noted while Lincoln half-grimaced, half-chuckled.  
Clarke didn't fail to notice O's eyes studying him with interest. 

"Because I do, my dear" Raven said, wiping away an imaginary tear and ignoring Bellamy's sigh of exasperation. "Twas traumatic-"  
"Is Lexa okay?" Clarke cut across her, and Lincoln nodded.  
"She's over there, training with Aden" At the mention of the fellow blonde, Clarke perked up. "She's...letting off some steam. We had some alarming news, so....Lexa likes to pull what I call an 'Anya' sometimes, and beat the shit out of punching bags or spar when she's stressed" 

"Wow, Clarke, you should join her" Raven said, smirking and nudging her. "Sounds right up your alley, babe-"  
"Ray, I'll shove your brace where the sun don't shine if you don't shut your mouth, darling" Clarke said cheerfully, already walking away towards where Lincoln had pointed. 

"...you had that coming" Bellamy muttered in Raven's ear, but she just grinned and ruffled his messy hair.   
"Oh, I know." She glanced round at their little group. "Now. Let us make haste, my childrens!"   
The latina marched off, brace clunking as she fell into an awkward and bumbling and totally Raven-esque stride with Anya, the others following quickly.

Clarke didn't think she'd seen something so fucking amazing. 

Toned, tattooed arms. Muscles flexing across tan skin. Sweat shining off an exposed back adorned with intricate black ink that Clarke yearned to trace with her finger. A gorgeous body that proved absolutely lethal in the way that she moved, weaving effortlessly through the air like a ribbon. 

Clarke's mouth was agape as she watched Lexa reel back from a swing from Indra, backing up slightly, seemingly oblivious to the slight crowd watching with as much awe as was required from such a show.  
The brunette shook her head, the tangled brown locks shifting from her narrow shoulder to her smooth back, and she joined the older woman as they circled slowly, eyes locked as they studied each other. 

Then she struck. 

There were many comparisons for it, Clarke thought, biting her lip so hard she very nearly drew blood as she watched Lexa twirl the dagger in her right hand much like the blonde did. A cobra, perhaps. A cobra shifting from its coiled position to strike and sink its fangs into its prey. 

Lexa was whirling, her dagger slashing and whipping through thin air as Indra moved just as quick, too quick so Clarke didn't have a chance to voice the gasp that had lodged itself in her throat rather rudely. 

Clarke was no stranger to sparring ferociously, of course, but there was something about the glint in Lexa's eyes, the slight smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth when Indra evaded a particularly swift attack, blade whistling inches away from her forearm.  
It was..... 

"Fucking hell, that's hot.." 

Clarke couldn't even bring herself to slap lightly at Raven's arm, too transfixed as Lexa finally claimed her victory. 

The brunette sensed the opening Indra had mistakenly left, and struck like a bolt of lightning, blade flipping rather cockily in one hand before she slammed it into the woman's side; Indra grunted and fell to the side, attempting to sweep Lexa's legs out from under her but missing as the teenager smirked (the triumphant gleam in those green eyes did something funny to Clarke's insides) and dodged. 

Clarke noticed Aden grinning madly, standing from his tree stump to clap loudly, joined by Lincoln, who let out a loud whoop. 

Lexa sobered instantly as she took in the Arkadians clustered by the tents, nodding sternly to Kane as she offered Indra a hand and lifted the woman to her feet with ease. 

She hadn't seen Clarke yet, and for some reason it only heightened the nerves twisting her stomach, the anticipation of having those eyes rest on her again. 

"That was some serious fighting" Raven muttered, in awe. "Like she's good. like, YOU good. And goddamn-"  
"Ray-"  
"I mean she's no Anya, she's no Aphrodite-"  
"Aphrodite??-"  
"Yeah, you know" Raven said, winking at Anya across the little training ground, the blonde glaring back from where she walked to meet Aden and Lexa. "Goddess of beauty. And loOoooVe-" 

"Of course" Clarke said dryly, though it wasn't really optional. Her mouth had literally dried up. 

"But I can see why you were creamin your pants, Commander's got style-"  
"Raven!" Clarke warned.  
"-but she's like lesbian catnip-" 

Raven shrieked as Clarke shoved her, cackling with laughter and shoving back. "Yeah! Catnip! Attracting countless lesbians and useless blonde bisexual badass babes such as yourself- OOF!"  
"I swear to fucking god, Ray-" 

"Uhhh, you guys gonna cool it or what?" Murphy's voice came from beside them, and they slowly straightened up, becoming more serious as they saw the group assembling a few metres away. Serious save for the occasional pinch and flick, save for Raven's silent giggles as they hastened to join them. 

They heard Lexa talking to Kane as they ambled up, and Clarke summoned her easygoing and confident aura right before she stepped forward. Abby was presumably back with that woman, and Kane seemed to be handling the situation of being surrounded by a gang of muscular, hardened individuals with tattoos quite well. 

"-to, so it's probably best we discuss this in our tent" Lexa said, and Clarke had to focus hard to actually hear her words and understand them rather than watch the sheen of sweat on her flexing arms as the girl wiped her brow with a towel. "Ah, Clarke."  
"Commander" She greeted evenly, face blank as the small group studied them. "An honour, as always". Clarke bowed her head, before tilting her head up and allowing the huge grin that was fighting to be let free stretch across her face. 

Lexa rolled her eyes but her lips twitched before Anya was suddenly saying something.  
Clarke glanced back and noticed Bellamy nodding to her and already leading the others away with Lincoln to gather by a seating area where Aden sat, writing something in his book whilst a familiar girl with black hair watched.  
Emori looked tired and pale, but her eyes lit up when she saw the Arkadians approach, taking in the hyperactive teenagers. 

Clarke smiled when she saw Murphy pause a little ways away from the table before surging forward and lifting the girl up into a tight hug.   
Raven giggled beside her. "Never thought we'd see an affectionate Murphy in our lifetime. Chick's tamed the beast" 

"Is that Emori?" Kane asked, and Clarke turned back to see Lexa nodding. "The scout?"  
"Scout?" Clarke and Raven asked at the same time, and Anya rolled her eyes.  
"Okay, let's talk about this properly. In our tent. Away from our people and your toddler friends-" 

"Anya" Lexa said coolly, casting her a stern gaze that would wilt a flower, but Anya just shrugged.  
"No, no, Aphrodite's got a point-" Raven said, and Anya stared.  
"Aphro-what?"  
"Aphrodite, you dumbass-" 

"Okay!" Clarke interrupted, exchanging an exasperated look with Kane. "Tent?"  
"Tent" Lexa agreed, and Clarke felt her cheeks burn when her attempt at averting her eyes failed, eyes instead finding smooth, tanned legs protruding from a pair of boy shorts.  
"We okay to leave our Delinquents back there?" Raven asked Clarke as they began moving, Kane breaking his professional leadership vibe for a moment, enthusiastically bombarding Lexa with questions. 

"If Jasper has any sugar we'll have to tether him to a tree so he doesn't run wild" Clarke said dryly, and Raven sniggered; she looked a little too pleased, and the blonde noticed Anya had fallen into step with them, impassive as ever but close by the brunette. Interesting.  
"Like that time he tried to fight the bonfire" She recalled fondly. "Punching the flames like the twat he is-"  
"Complaining for days about his burnt knuckles-" 

"Sounds like the male version of you" Anya commented, and Clarke laughed.   
"You're not wrong. These two together? The Duo are professional wreakers of havoc"  
"Ahem. We prefer 'inducers of chaos'" Raven said, scowling, and Clarke grinned at Anya. "So what about this scout, eh?"

"Basically" Lexa said a few minutes later when they were all sat round the logs in their tent that had grown in size, beds in the corner with crates stacked with weapons and various things. "Emori is one of our scouts. She doesn't do the task often as she has difficulties covering large amounts of ground in a short time, but she'd taken over from Shay this occasion. We have a few people that go out and keep an eye on things. It's why we were so surprised to hear of Arkadia, even though it's way out of our usual territory we probably would've expected to hear something of it" 

"We're out the way" Kane said, shrugging, and Lexa nodded. 

"So Emori just...spies on things?" Raven asked confusedly, hand up like she was a student at school before Clarke tugged it down. "Lurks in the trees and catches the latest squirrel gossip?"  
"You may think this is a joke, Reyes-" Anya started loudly, eyes hard, before Lexa placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"Sorry, sorry" Raven apologised, hands up, and Clarke shoved her lightly. "Serious shit, alright" 

"Please continue, Lexa" Kane said, pointedly looking at Raven. 

"Emori returned with news" Lexa said slowly. "News of a horde" 

There was silence, the only sounds shuffling and camp activity muffled by the fabric surrounding them. 

"How big are we talking?" Clarke asked finally, calmer than Raven and Kane, who had paled a little. "What kind of infecteds?"  
"All kinds" Anya replied grimly. "The slower ones and the less developed ones, Walkers and Runners as you call them-"  
"And how many?"  
"Emori said she saw at least a hundred, a hundred and fifty..." Lexa said, and Kane sucked in a breath. 

"You're sure?" he asked shakily, and Lexa and Anya locked eyes. "That sounds impossible, they don't group that big, the biggest cluster we've ever encountered was around fifty? Sixty? And that was years ago.."  
"We trust Emori" Lexa said firmly. "She has good eyes, and a strong mind." 

"I can agree with that" Raven added randomly, and Clarke and Kane stared at her. "What? Girl knows her movies, and us intelligent hotties tend to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals.." 

"Ray" Clarke said quietly, and Raven shut up with an apologetical grin. The blonde's calm demeanour seemed to steel the group, her thoughtful eyes calculating as she tapped her knee. 

"Where was the horde?" 

"Emori scouted the terrain spanning from the forest we call Glowing Forest to what we call Rock Line" Lexa answered. "About a day's walk from here. She should've taken a horse, but she's stubborn and she insisted she would be fine on foot-"  
"Idiot" Anya muttered, but there was no malice in it.  
"-apparently there's huge amounts of corpses massing in Ton DC, and she said she stayed for about an hour to study them. There were at least ten new arrivals, so it's growing consistently-"

"Where the hell are they all coming from?" Kane asked, and the teenagers stared back at him helplessly.  
"We're in trouble if it moves towards us-" Raven started, but Clarke shook her head.  
"Ton DC is miles away, and a horde this size can't move quickly. The way I see it, even if it grows more every day, we'll be adequately prepared if this thing heads our way" 

Raven opened her mouth to argue but Lexa nodded in agreement. "I agree with Clarke, and the only main problem would be location of fighting"  
"Yeah, making sure we don't get overwhelmed by Runners" Clarke mused, unaware of how she was now twirling the dagger in her hand.   
Raven glanced down at it. It was ornate, sharpened well, with a sleek charcoal hilt and a gleaming blade that flashed as it spun. 

"Exactly. Walkers, we could handle, as long as we have space to back away and recuperate, we can't allow ourselves to get penned in anywhere-" Anya said, and almost laughed at the way Kane looked slightly ill at the very thought of fighting a horde. "We'll need plenty of ground-" 

At that moment, one of Lexa's unofficial guards called out, and the leader of the Trikru assented reluctantly.  
Abby ducked in, alongside Lincoln. 

"Clarke" she said firmly, completely ignoring Lexa's attempt at an introduction, her tone instantly urging her daughter to her feet. "Sorry, everyone.."  
"Abby?" Kane asked confusedly, but she'd already moved back out of the tent.  
"Sorry, I'll be back" Clarke murmered, gaze locking with Lexa before she was following the older woman out. 

"Okay...what the hell was that? Linc?" Anya asked the tall boy now seated beside her, but Lexa held up her hand, looking at Raven intently.   
The brunette looked fearful, and the lack of brazeness and her flirtatious attitude scared the two Woods siblings. 

"Raven?" Lexa prompted, and Raven glanced at her.   
"Sorry, just...Abby doesn't get ruffled about many things, and I haven't seen her like that since..." She trailed off, leaving the others to stare at each other in confusion. 

Lincoln rubbed his face.  
"She had some...suspicions, Lexa" 

"Suspicions?"

"Mum! What the hell-"  
"I think one of them's infected" Abby said hurriedly, dragging Clarke away and out of earshot of the guards and the Trikru. "The man with the beard! Dasha, the woman with the migraine, she was showing me the ointments they were using for one of their horses, it's sick, they suspect it has Rainscald, but there was this man behind the stables-" 

"Slow down, mum" Clarke said, rubbing Abby's shoulder soothingly. "Slow down.."  
"He had a bite! I'm sure of it!" The woman cried, running a hand through her ponytail desperately. "He was round the back, and I saw him for a second, just a glimpse, and then he was limping off-"  
"Did you get an actual look at the bite? Did he see you?"   
"I don't know, but he had his pant leg rolled up, and he was trying to stop the bleeding-" 

"If he's been bitten it can't be long before he changes" Clarke said lowly, using every ounce of her willpower to distance herself emotionally from the situation. He wasn't Jake, he wasn't- 

"Clarke" Abby choked out, fists clenched as she panted.

"What the fuck do we do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe  
> yes I have made up a load of characters lmfao

**Author's Note:**

> any feedback is really appreciated xxx
> 
> TWAT OUT


End file.
